Reflections of existence
by Celtic Oak
Summary: The age of vampires is coming to an end; the ruling vampire lords must either fight or flee. D must come to a decision, to help his worst enemies or hinder their plans. To find the answer he must rely on himself and the most unlikely of alliances.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertainment purposes only. No offense is meant by it.  
  
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey minna-san! ^_^ This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so no flames please! I hope you enjoy my story, and don't forget to review! Thanks!  
  
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PROLOGUE  
  
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Throughout the course of my existence, I have been the witness to many events. I say existence, for in this world of humans, I do not possess a life. I am a vampire, one of the un-dead, and it is said that we of the dead blood do not have claim to a soul, that ephemeral spirit that gives life to all goodly creatures under the sun. Our star's light has always been associated with goodness, with all that is righteous and honorable, therefore, one must conclude that whatever it is that cannot stand the rays of the sun is evil and treacherous. Or at least, this is what the humans believe, specially the human priests. But I have found through the long years of my incarnation that humans have always been afraid of the night.of the darkness and all that is hidden within it.  
  
I have been banned from the rays of our star for as long as I can remember, and I must say that I have encountered many creatures of perverse origin in my nighttime travails. But also, I have come to find goodness hidden in the blanket of dark; small stars shining in the velvet blackness, creatures of the light that have honoured us evil beings with their kindness and gentleness, deciding to live their life out here in the darkness as well. It is when I think of this that I come to wonder where humans' belief of only evil living where there is no light came from, for I am sure if they were to venture into my world they would find how wrong they are.  
  
But I tarry. It is not my place to judge that which is good or evil. Throughout my existence, I have come to learn that truth is never what one thought it was. For truth has many faces, and depending on one's mentality, one can shift the meaning of truth to suit one's purpose, or one's belief.  
  
There is one truth in this world, however, and that is the fact that the people of my kind are fading. Our numbers are dwindling with the passage of the years, and I am afraid that one day, we will be no more. It is due to this that I write these words now, so that one day, a record of our passing will be kept and the ones that will come after us, be them humans or other such, will have some legacy of our knowledge. But recently, I have come to seriously doubt that, for humans have the tendency to destroy that which is in their path.  
  
Long ago, this Earth was a place of green, of life. One could fly in the nighttime sky and all that could be seen were forests for miles. Old and tall trees, clear and cold rivers, blue and flowing seas. How did all this come to be the apocalyptic world in which we live in today, you may ask?  
  
War is the answer I give you. War and mass destruction. Humans have little tolerance for that which is different from them, including their own race. They waged war on one another for many years, destroying, burning and killing everything that lay around them. Our planet trembled under the harshness of humans; Mother Earth groaned and shifted, huge mountains rose from the earth to tower above all, until the lay of the land changed completely. It was only then that the wars ended. But now, where there were forests and seas, deserts lay. And what once was rich and beautiful is now dry and cracked. The humans brought on their most feared apocalypse.  
  
We vampires were affected by all this. Many of us fled to the "City of the Stars" in distant space to avoid being destroyed in these wars. But most of us used our powers to lay hidden and protected ourselves from the grotesque havoc that plagued the planet. We watched as human beings killed themselves, diminishing their numbers to shockingly small figures.  
  
It was then that a regression of technology occurred. And what was once known, was lost. Knowledge was burned in the fires. In that moment in time was when we vampires flourished. We came out as lords of the Earth. We rebuilt our castles and took hold of the lands. We were never as numerous as the humans, but we had our power. Innate power to control everything that was around us, power to do amazing things.things that could only be called supernatural. But most of all, we had power because of the fear we emanated. Wherever there was a vampire, fear was it's main weapon. We gained respect out of that fear, and many of us gained in wealth and control. But with all this came an exaggerated bloodlust from my kind. A bloodlust which, personally, I am not proud of, for it was our own downfall.  
  
By driving fear into the hearts of humans, we lost whatever alliance there might be between us forever. Instead of approaching them with friendship and trust, we approached them with death and deceit. How many vampires delighted in tricking a man or a woman into their traps, and then drink their blood in a grotesque way? I admit that the bloodlust can come in a very demanding and urgent way, and it can even come as a sensuous need. But never have I had a drink of blood after playing with my intended prey, and never have I taken pleasure in torturing a poor soul to death. These are principles that go back to the very origins of my kind, but that have been forgotten throughout the ages, reduced to mere hearth tales. So, as a human bleeds a pig for one of their religious rituals...so does a vampire bleed a human. Both are customs for which I hold very little respect for.  
  
But our realm of terror lasted only as long as it could have. Humans have always had the gift of fertility, and their numbers rapidly increased. Being too numerous for us to handle, they swiftly turned against us. Human beings have always had an incredible intellect and creativity in designing weapons of destruction, and now, they utilized this ability to wipe out vampires off the face of the Earth.  
  
We were persecuted and hunted. The hunters of the night turned into easy prey when they were cornered and trapped into the daylight. Our numbers fell. With huge bounties on our heads, a new class of humans emerged: bounty hunters. We run from them whenever we can, for when it comes to destroying another living creature, humans possess great cunning.  
  
This is were we now stand. The great Houses and Families of vampires have all nearly fallen. The few of us that remain have had to come up with ways to survive, with ways to face the coming avalanche. We either fight...or flee. This is an encroaching argument that has come upon us, dividing many of our people. I only hope that we come up with an answer, and soon.  
  
For the day is approaching when we will fly in the night sky no more, when we will eventually fade away. In hope of this not happening, I write the words you now gaze upon, so that maybe, in a shimmer of hope, someone with an open mind will read this and come to share with understanding all that which we creatures of the night once lived...all that we vampires once were.  
  
Vitéz Lengyel  
  
Baron of Arkenia  
  
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Alright, alright, I know D doesn't appear in the prologue, by I assure you, he'll make an appearance soon! So, what do you think of my Baron? He's going to be my main vampire! R&R! Thanks, again. 


	2. Chap1: Arrival

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertainment purposes only. No offense is meant by it.  
  
******* *******  
  
A/N: Well, here's the first chapter. A special thanks goes out to my friend Bobby *hugs him* for helping me out with all the Hungarian and Rumanian names for my vampires. Arigatou, Bobby-kun! ^_^  
  
As usual, I had to face the problem of how to refer to D's hand... oh well, I did my best.  
  
Hope you enjoy! R&R!  
  
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"Thus did the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads of small creatures- creatures of this chronicle among the rest- along the roads that lay before them."  
  
Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities  
  
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Chapter 1  
Arrival  
*******  
  
Under the failing light of the sun, only few would be brave or foolish enough to venture outside. But as the daylight faded, a tall lone figure on a horse could be seen on a long and lonely road. A large pointy hat adorned the traveler's head, and a long black cloak trailed after him, as his horse continued it's leisurely pace. From a distance, any person would have thought that this passerby was a fool, driven by mere stupidity to travel at such a time of the day. But upon closer inspection, they would have been proven wrong.  
  
Stupidity was never among the traits of the Vampire Hunter, D.  
  
The dunpheal had been traveling north-east for some days now, intent on reaching his destination within the time limit he had set upon himself. He knew he was entering the domain of the vampire he was now hunting, and above all else, caution was called for. He wouldn't reach his prey's stronghold for a few days, but still, when dealing with a powerful vampire, a bounty hunter must always watch for the shadows. Shadows that would usually come alive as soon as the sun had set. As was happening now.  
  
D led his horse off the road, towards a copse of trees that grew on the side. He would usually keep on traveling at night, away from the sun's heat, but as hard experience had taught him over the centuries, he knew better than to keep on traveling in the darkness upon the entrance to a vampire's domain. He knew that the vampire lords saw and heard everything within their land, and had intricate webs of spies to gather information concerning about the doings and goings of every person under their rule. He was sure that many already knew of his passage, and would most likely attack him under the cover of night if given a chance. But D wasn't wont on giving his enemies any chances.  
  
He decided to break camp on top of a large stone within the trees that overlooked the road. This way, he could clearly see any potential threats coming from the direction he had just traveled by or from the direction he intended to go. He didn't bother in building a fire, it wasn't cold outside, being late spring, and he didn't need it for light purposes either. He was fine with his vampire night vision and was able to see quite clearly in the engulfing darkness. So, after letting his horse wander off a bit, looking for some grass to eat near the side of the road, the Vampire Hunter sat down on the large stone, his back to a tree.  
  
D sat cross legged, placing his long sword over his legs, ready for use if the need rose. He contemplated the stars above for an instant, allowing himself a brief moment of relaxation, something all too precious and rare in his nomadic existence.  
  
It was in moments like this that he would usually lose himself in thought. Very often of late, he had begun to think about the way he lead his life. It had been centuries since he had pledged himself to exterminating vampire kind, centuries since he had learned the way of the sword to perfection, centuries since he had been traveling on his own. And even though he had excelled in his craft, gaining the reputation of being the best, his mind often came to wonder if he actually found his chosen profession fulfilling.  
  
Not that he had much choice in the matter, anyway. His strong moral code had always led him to make sacrifices, had always led him to place other people's safety and happiness before his own. Completely neglecting his own, as a matter of fact. But that didn't matter; he did what he did for the greater good of the world, even though his sacrifices went unappreciated by most. He contented himself with knowing that he was ridding the planet of the most vile and evil species to ever walk under the sky, and that had been enough to stop the argument with himself for long years.  
  
But centuries of traveling alone did leave very long spaces of time for thinking.  
  
And there was the small matter of his heritage as well.but he hated it when his mind wondered upon such things, and as usual, when his train of thought reached this certain point, as was happening now, he concentrated on the task at hand.  
  
Exterminating a vampire.  
  
In this particular case, the vampire Kalman Farkas.  
  
He had been on Farkas' trail for almost a week now. He hadn't been a particularly hard vampire to find, due to the large county over which he ruled. As D had come nearer and nearer to Farkas' domain, he had come to collect bits and pieces of information about his quarry.  
  
Kalman has ruled over this land for only 300 years. It wasn't a long time, compared to vampire standards. He had inherited the castle and rulership from his father, a distinguished vampire Count, after the latter's untimely demise at the hands of a hunter. Kalman, filled with anger at his father's death, took it up upon himself to destroy the particular vampire hunter. He managed to kill the man not far from his home, and after doing so, he placed his head on a pole at the top his castle's gates, a warning to all that the Farkas family had little tolerance to any who came to threaten them.  
  
D had learned the story from an old lady, who he happened upon on the last town he had come through along the way. D heeded the warning, and thanked the woman for her time. But the strange thing was that the old woman hadn't seemed worried about him; on the contrary, from the tone of voice with which she spoke, anyone would have had thought that she was actually worried about the safety of the vampire he had set out to kill. An interesting fact.a very interesting fact indeed, taking the Farkas Family's bloody history into account.  
  
"Ahh, the old lady was probably senile by now! No need to worry about what she said. Stop being such a worry wart, dunpheal", came a voice from the vicinity of his left hand. D had wondered when the symbiont would make an appearance. It had been too quiet for the past hour or two.  
  
"I am not worrying about it," replied D quietly. "I was merely wondering about the source of the worry that the woman made evident in her tone of voice."  
  
"She was probably just saying that so that you would stay away from this place. Must I remind you that people don't have really warm welcomes for dunpheals. After all this time one would think that you would've learnt your lesson", laughed Left Hand.  
  
D shook his head, but did not deign the comment with an answer. Left Hand had a way of getting on his nerves; it was an ability it had learned to perfection throughout the years of partnership.if one could call the limb stealing leech a partner.  
  
Left Hand kept on rambling about blind old ladies and their fantasies of vampire lovers, but D efficiently shut his hearing from the tirade of sick jokes. He turned his gaze to the stars again, feeling a strange comfort in the small shining lights of the stars. After a while, he noticed that Left Hand had gone quiet.  
  
"D?", said the symbiont hesitantly. No answer came.  
  
"You've been acting weird lately", Left Hand insisted. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he chuckled at the absurdity of thinking that the eccentric Vampire Hunter was acting "weird". Everything D did was strange.from the way he lived his life, his profession and to Left Hand's perception, even the way he dressed. Even so, the symbiont was extremely good at reading and guessing the dunpheal's moods and thoughts.  
  
'Hell, I'm attached to his damned hand!', he thought dryly. 'Of course I can tell when something's wrong. But of course, he won't say a single word.' Silence was the only thing that answered Left Hand's comment. Thus, the symbiont tried to change the subject.  
  
"Alright, so we know where Farkas lives.or at least we have some idea of the whereabouts of his castle. And from what we've heard he'll be a tough vampire to deal with. Not to mention the fact that he probably has thousands of barbarois servants at his command; all of them guarding his castle faithfully. Also, he comes from one of the most prominent vampire families of all times, which can only imply that he is not the only vampire living at the castle. He definitely has to have more than one sibling or relative living with him."  
  
Left Hand stopped talking as an image entered his mind.He saw both D and himself trying to fend off the simultaneous attacks of 5 or more powerful vampires, with an army of barbarois surrounding them. The thought didn't altogether match the symbiont's idea of an easy job.  
  
"D, could you remind me again exactly why we took on this job?", he asked, frustration apparent in his voice. D seemed to be lost in thought. It was a moment before he answered in his cool detached manner.  
  
"We are on this job because Farkas is an assassin. He is an evil creature, therefore he must be destroyed. He killed the daughter and son of the rich merchant that hired us. He spilled the blood of the innocent, and thus he deserves to die."  
  
"You're wrong there, dunpheal. I think he didn't spill a single drop of blood! Hahaha!", laughed Left Hand, quite proud of the joke he had managed to play on the Vampire Hunter.  
  
But as was usually the case, D did not seem amused. He closed his left hand, stopping the symbiont's annoying laughter, and silencing him for the rest of the night.  
  
After gazing at the stars for a few more moments, D shifted so that he was more comfortable with his back against the tree. He decided it was time to call it a night; the following days would probably not grant him an easy hunt, so he had to make the most of the time he had now to rest. He lowered his hat over his eyes, placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword and closed his eyes.  
  
Throughout the night, Left hand's snores where the only noise that pierced the silence.  
  
*******  
  
There was definitely something wrong. There was something altogether unnatural about the whole scene. It just wasn't right. D had ridden for a couple of days before he had come into the next town; a considerably large village called Lunke. He hadn't encountered any attacks or ambushes during the journey, which was always an inconvenience when entering a vampire's territory. He had considered himself lucky this time, not giving the fact much thought. He knew the attacks would come, sooner or later, and that the lack of them was probably a tactic used by his enemy, fooling him into thinking that he was safe, letting his confidence get the best of him and leading him to let his guard down.  
  
But D was never fooled. He knew the ways of vampires too well. He was confident that the shadows would come for him any moment now. Or so he had thought. Now, upon the sight that his eyes fell upon, he wasn't so sure.  
  
When he had first seen the town of Lunke in the distance, he had decided to cross it during the night. That way, no one would know of his passing and he would be spared of any unwelcoming gestures from the townsfolk. He had spotted Farkas' castle in the hills beyond the town, vaguely wondering how the villagers would risk living at such a close proximity to the Count's dwelling. Nevertheless, he would be arriving at the castle very soon, all the more reason to pass unnoticed.  
  
He rode up to the town quietly, picking up the pace so that he would cross it as quickly as possible. But all the hard earned experience of living his life as a Vampire Hunter could not prepare him from what he now saw.  
  
The windows of the houses were open; the doors as well. Not a single crucifix could be seen anywhere. There were people strolling happily under the streetlamps. There were children playing with fireworks on the sidewalk. Families sat on porches, enjoying the sweet spring air.  
  
It was night, the time of the vampires. And these people were outside.  
  
He immediately suspected a trap. His warrior instincts took over for a moment; his enhanced senses checked every corner, every possible shadow where an enemy might be concealed. He stayed very still, waiting for the imminent attack. But it never came.  
  
Instead, a man from a nearby house, who had spotted the newly arrived rider, made his way over.  
  
"D, this doesn't smell right", said Left Hand, voicing D's uneasiness. "There has to be something wrong. Be careful."  
  
He nodded, almost imperceptibly. As the stranger came closer, D's hand made its way over to his shoulder, near the hilt of his sword.  
  
"Good evening, sir", the man greeted happily. "Welcome to our modest town of Lunke." He hadn't noticed D's battle stance on top of his horse, apparently. In matter of seconds, the Vampire Hunter could slice the man's head off his shoulders, but it seemed the man had not even registered the fact.  
  
D didn't answer the greeting, hoping the man would turn around and leave. But the human was not so easily deterred.  
  
"Have you been traveling for long?", he continued to ask.  
  
Still no answer.  
  
By now, the man was only a few paces away. A soft breeze blew, rustling the brim of D's hat slightly, allowing his face to be seen clearly for a moment. But it was enough.  
  
The man's eyes widened. "Oh my, a dunpheal!"  
  
Now D knew he was in for it People would start running for the safety of their houses. Either that, or stones would start flying his way. He was about to turn around and ride the way he had come from, when the man stopped him with his words.  
  
"Welcome, welcome sir!", he said, smiling even wider at D. "Are you here to see the Count? The castle isn't far, but you'll never reach it tonight. Might as well stay at an inn and try reaching him tomorrow night. There was some very nice inns in town, if I might add. Fair prices too."  
  
D stared down at the man with and incredulous expression in his dark eyes.  
  
"The name's Yuri", said the man, still smiling. "And how may I call you, stranger?"  
  
"D", was all the answer he received.  
  
"Well D, if you wish, I can lead you to a nice comfortable inn. What do you say?"  
  
The dunpheal merely nodded, still not sure of what to make of the whole situation. He had to be careful, he couldn't let his guard down, specially now.  
  
"Very well then, follow me", said Yuri, as he started walking.  
  
D dismounted and led his horse behind Yuri, making their way through what was, in D's perception, a crowded street.  
  
*******  
  
The inn wasn't far, just a few blocks away. Yuri had introduced D to the innkeeper, an old man named Petro, and helped him get the best price. D had few belongings, which he carried with him up the stairs as Petro showed him to his room. Yuri had volunteered to take D's horse to the stables, where surely the stableboy would take the best care of it. D started to refuse, saying he could take care of the cyborg himself, but Yuri had waved him off, taking the horse away before D could give him his thanks.  
  
Petro showed him his room; it was small, but it was all that D needed, with only a chair and a wash basin to keep the bed company. Petro gave him his key, leaving the dunpheal to settle in.  
  
D surveyed the room. He still hadn't lost his suspicions about all of this being a set up, thus he made sure that there were no hidden wires or traps inside his small alcove. Satisfied that there was no hidden doorways inside his walls, he let himself sit down on the chair to think things through.  
  
These people weren't afraid of him, that much was clear. They behaved in the most natural way around him. As he had walked down the street, people had turned to look at him, but they hadn't stared at him with hostility and rejection. They had looked at him with curiosity, as if they were looking at any normal traveler. They hadn't turned and fled. On the contrary, some people actually approached to get a better look at him and some children had actually stopped to wave at him in greeting.  
  
His mind was thoroughly perplexed. He truly didn't know what to make of things. The people in the town acted as though having a dunpheal stroll down their street was an every day occurrence. Petro treated him as though he always had half-vampires staying at his inn. And Yuri's animosity at realizing his origins told him in no small measure that he was even more welcome for being what he was. Somehow, he felt uneasy about all this.  
  
He admitted to himself that he had always dreamed of being welcomed into a town like this. Of having the people accept him for what he was and treat him amiably. But now that it was happening, instead of feeling grateful for it, he was growing slightly worried. Things just didn't work this way. Things like this just didn't happen.  
  
He thought again of Yuri's welcoming words. The man had asked if he was here to visit the Count. The question was evidence enough that these people were used to having all kinds of creatures visit their town. A vampire never had what one would call "normal" people as visitors. And by the way Yuri spoke, it was clear that he was fond of his Count and treated the people who came to visit him nicely.  
  
'It would seem', D thought, 'that the impression I had from the old lady in the first town wasn't entirely wrong.'  
  
"Bah! They're all a bunch of lunatics!" Left Hand interrupted. "They have no idea of what a vampire Count is capable of. They haven't seen the terrors he can bring down on them. Farkas is probably herding them like cattle, waiting until there are enough of them so he can feast like the monster he is."  
  
D nodded. He knew, rationally, that what Left Hand said was right. A vampire was never righteous with the people under his reign of fear. They were only livestock with which to feed. But something inside D told him that in this town, this wasn't the case. His heart told him that these people truly had nothing to fear from Farkas.  
  
D shook his head, dismissing such stupid ideas. As he had perceived before, this was probably a trap for him so that he would let his guard down, and he was not about to let that happen. What he could really use to get a clearer picture was information.  
  
D stood up decisively and made his way to the door.  
  
"Hey, where are you going?," asked Left Hand, confused.  
  
"I'm going downstairs to get some dinner and maybe talk some more with the innkeeper."  
  
"WHAT!?!"  
  
"You heard what I said."  
  
"Have you gone mad, dunpheal? And since when does the great Vampire Hunter D mingle with the troublesome humans he so loyally protects?", added Left Hand mockingly.  
  
D closed his left palm forcefully, silencing the symbiont effectively.  
  
"I am doing this with the purpose of gathering some more information about the vampire we are about to go kill. Also, I wish to know what the people truly think of him. And I expect no more words from you, is that clear?"  
  
Only silence answered him.  
  
"Good", D said finally. He opened the door, heading down the stairs in the direction of the dining hall, seeing if he could make some sense of the situation he was in.  
  
*******  
  
The mists within the mirror shifted. What were once black shadows now took on a hue of purple. As the movements increased, a voice spoke.  
  
"Master.Master?"  
  
"Yes?", an equally dark and cold voice answered.  
  
"The dunpheal has entered Lunke. He will reach the castle within a day".  
  
"Excellent. We shall see what he is truly capable of in no time at all. Kalman Farkas will finally see his demise.just like his father did before him."  
  
"Would you like me to follow the hunter, my lord?"  
  
"No. We cannot risk being discovered. If we come any closer to the castle, the wretched Farkas will become aware of our intrusion. We shall know the results of the fight easily enough when it is done. Stay where you are."  
  
"Yes, master. Your will is my command."  
  
And with that, the mists inside the mirror receded, leaving only impenetrable silence behind.  
  
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Well, there you have it. Let me know what you think! Read and review, please! 


	3. Chap2: Hatred of the unbeliever

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertainment purposes only. No offense is meant by it.  
  
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A/N: Here's the next installment! Thanks to Kitala and hao for reviewing! : )  
  
Also, special thanks to my "editor", Ralf, for the time he took to read this through. Love you! ^_^  
  
Please review!!  
  
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"To light a candle is to cast a shadow."  
  
Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea  
  
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Chapter 2  
  
Hatred of the unbeliever  
  
*******  
  
D sat at one of the tables in the dining hall, eating a modest meal. There were other guests staying at the inn, but they paid him no heed. They sat eating their own food, presumably not aware that a dunpheal sat two tables away.  
  
He tried to listen to their conversations, but they were not discussing anything that sparked the Vampire Hunter's interest. If he wanted some information, he'd have to pose the questions himself.  
  
Luck was with him this night, for Petro walked into the room in that precise instant, making sure his guests were well accommodated. He spotted D immediately and made his way over to the dunpheal's table.  
  
"Good evening again, master D", he greeted amiably. "Is everything to your liking?"  
  
"Everything's perfect", D assured him. "I thank you for your hospitality."  
  
"Oh, no need to thank me. That's what we're here for," Petro replied with a smile.  
  
D bowed his head slightly, acknowledging his words. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, but finally, as if deciding something, he spoke.  
  
"This is quite a beautiful town you live in", he said conversationally. He could feel Left Hand's smirk at his friendly tone, and he knew the symbiont was on the brink of making a rude remark. He closed his hand tightly in response.  
  
"I've never been in these parts before," D continued. "Would you care to join me and tell me all about these lands?"  
  
Petro didn't need much prompting, being the talkative man he was. He quickly sat down, gesturing the waitress to bring two cups and a bottle of wine to the table.  
  
"There's not much to tell, actually," he began. "The lands you have been traveling in for at least some days now, I presume, are under the rule of Kalman Farkas, our vampire Count. Peace has always reigned in these parts. No bloody revolutions or wars. Many would think our county was dull with such a calm history," he finished with a chuckle.  
  
"Not that I'm complaining," he quickly corrected after a moment. "I know our Count has always cared for our welfare, and I am not ungrateful for all his efforts. On the contrary, I know it is thanks to him that we've had such a peaceful existence. No civil wars, no disputes with neighbouring counties, no problems with traders. We've never had the need to take up arms to defend ourselves."  
  
The old man's calm tone was completely at odds with the words he was saying. For a moment, D thought he had been hearing things, but then he felt Left Hand's stunned presence, and he knew he was not imagining things.  
  
Petro was serving the wine by now. He filled a cup and handed it over to D, who accepted it politely.  
  
"This here town is what could be called the "capital", the old man continued. It's the biggest town in the county, the wealthiest too, thanks to the castle's close proximity. Our town of Lunke has always led a happy life under the watchful gaze of Farkas Castle, and I pray for it always to be so."  
  
D looked elsewhere for a moment, absently stirring the cup in his hand. Here was this old man, with long years of experience, and his first serious words to him expressed his enjoyment of living under the rule of a vampire. And by the way he spoke of him, it was easy to tell that the innkeeper held a deep admiration for his ruling lord.  
  
The dunpheal remained silent, absorbing all the information.  
  
"The Farkas Family has ruled over these lands for as long as any of us in town can remember. The family actually founded the town. As I told you before, the Count has always protected it from any danger."  
  
'Protected the town?', D thought to himself, somewhat sceptically. 'Protected his own interests, most likely.' He knew there had to be something behind all this. This was all too strange. He felt Left Hand's agreement with the notion.  
  
"For over three hundred years has Count Farkas been our lord, and a powerful one he has become. Did you know his skill with the sword is quite famous among vampires?"  
  
"Is it?", D asked, well aware that the information Petro was now sharing could be crucial in his upcoming meeting with the very vampire they were discussing.  
  
"Why yes, master D," he responded excitedly, as if he were a child speaking proudly of his father. "There is no other vampire Baron, Count or Duke that can hold his ground against our lord. Well, all except the Stormblade Baron, but they would never fight each other since he could be considered our Count's master. Taught him the blade, and all that."  
  
D tucked away the name for future reference even as Petro waved away the whole notion and took a long drink from his wine glass.  
  
"Anyhow, our Count's renowned skill and power is what keeps our county's borders safe. We all know that the world beyond our lands is cruel and perilous. I'm sure you're well aware, aren't you master D, with all your travels and everything?"  
  
D nodded his assent, but carefully abstained himself from mentioning the fact that what he considered to be the most perilous of all creatures was ruling this county from a castle not so far away.  
  
"You do seem to have the appearance of a traveler. How long have you been on the road?"  
  
"Longer than what you could possibly conceive," he replied quietly.  
  
Petro chuckled. "I take your word for it, master D. And I'm also sure that you've come across many of those evil creatures that roam the world, nowadays. Poor people live in terror of their very lives, I hear. I just think that we here in Lunke are luckier that most, having such a powerful Count defending us. A toast to that!"  
  
With that, he lifted his wine glass in salute. D lifted his own cup a little, out of respect, but not too high. He would never have toasted to anything, specially not to the words Petro was saying.  
  
He looked at his glass thoughtfully as Petro gulped down his wine and started refilling his cup once more. The old man seemed to be quite happy with the topic he had been discussing, and never did D suspect that he could be making all this up. The man was genuinely telling the truth, or at least, what he thought the truth to be.  
  
D was silent for a few more moments, but then he mustered the courage to ask what he had been wondering since he had taken his first step into Lunke.  
  
"Aren't you at least, to some extent, afraid of having a vampire Count as your ruling lord? Aren't you afraid that he may one day turn his powers against his people?" D knew it was a tactless question, but he just had to know.  
  
To his utter amazement, Petro only laughed.  
  
"The question every stranger asks on his way through", he said, chuckling. "Let me tell you this, master D. Our lordship, Kalman Farkas, has never given us reason to be afraid. He rules his lands with a fair hand; he welcomes us to his castle whenever disputes arise between the townsfolk, or when we have something to say to him. He makes sure every person in town has food on their table. He makes sure every family has enough goods stored to survive the winter. He sets the price in the markets fairly, so that everyone can afford what they need. There has never been a reason for us to complain about him, and there never will be."  
  
D almost dropped his wine glass with what he was hearing. His mind was trying to deal with the contradictions that were being tossed at him, but outwardly, he gave no sign of confusion. He merely nodded at the man sitting across from him.  
  
"He has always been a just and fair lord." Petro continued after a moment. "And the people of this town swear their loyalty to him willingly. We couldn't ask for a better ruler, master D."  
  
Petro emptied his cup, and refilled it for the third time. D's glass still lay untouched in his hand.  
  
"But you must know this, already", he kept saying. "You are here to visit the Count, are you not? Many a dunpheal has come to seek his council."  
  
"Yes, I am here to see him." D knew he wasn't exactly lying. The purpose of him visiting these lands was due to Kalman Farkas. But he knew that if he were to confess his true intentions or his profession, the people that had treated him so amiably up until now, would surely place his head on a plate and offer it to their ruling lord. So well had the vampire protected himself. No, he had to maintain the façade that he had come here to meet the Count on peaceful terms.  
  
"You must be here seeking information about the Leavings." Petro said more quietly. "Well, let me tell you that the Council of Stormhold has been pouring all its efforts into the project these last few months. Personally, I think it will be successful."  
  
"Will it?", said D, curiosity sparking instantaneously. He could feel Left Hand's attention immediately come back to the conversation. Now here was some information they would surely fine useful.  
  
"Yes, the Count has been making constant visits to Arkenia recently. To attend the meetings and all that. They have been giving the whole thing their full attention. The Council has been building on the resources to build the ship. But I only have vague knowledge of the whole process. You should ask Count Farkas to give you more information, when you see him. I'm sure he'd be glad to have you join them, master D, you do look like a formidable fighter and would undoubtedly be an asset."  
  
D was about to ask why Farkas would need fighters to achieve these so- called Leavings, but the waitress suddenly interrupted their discussion.  
  
"Petro, Duni is here to see you," she said to the innkeeper.  
  
"Oh my yes, I'd forgotten all about him," he replied, standing up. "You'll have to excuse me, master D, but my grandson usually comes at night for me to tell him stories. I really enjoyed our conversation."  
  
"I did too. It was really helpful, sir," he said, gracing the old man with one of his very rare smiles. "More helpful than you would think."  
  
" Well, I'm glad I could be of some help," Petro replied, smiling himself. "I hope you have a pleasant stay, and if I don't get a chance to speak to you before you leave tomorrow, I wish you the best of luck in your meeting with the Count."  
  
"Thank you again, sir," said D, lifting his cup in farewell. The dunpheal regarded him thoughtfully as the old man walked out of the room.  
  
D's mind was in complete turmoil. He did not know what to make of all that had just been said to him. He actually didn't know what to think at all. But of one thing he was certain: Farkas was up to something, something big. A plan which most definitely involved the participation of other vampires, most likely other vampire lords. Vampires never joined together to reach common goals unless the need was very great, and it took a very powerful vampire to lead them and keep control over the group. D wondered who could achieve such a feat. He knew that once, long ago, his father had ruled over all vampires, holding them together as a nation. What great power he must have possessed.  
  
D abruptly shook his head, banishing such kinds of thoughts immediately, returning his focus to the matter at hand.  
  
D's curiosity had been definitely sparked, and he was now resolute on finding out what exactly this "Council of Stormhold" was, and what they were trying to achieve. He was sure of one thing though, a council of vampires could not possibly be planning anything beneficial for humanity; he could bet his life on it. And he, the Vampire Hunter D, would do anything in his power to stop them.  
  
He stood up then, leaning his hands on the table for a moment. He should have a good rest before tomorrow; his meeting with Kalman Farkas was upon him, and he knew he would need all his strength before the following day was over. He was determined to get some answers from the vampire before the fight was over.  
  
He turned from the table then, long black cape trailing behind as he left his wine glass sitting on the table, full to the brim.  
  
********  
  
The castle was very near. He could see the barbarois guards atop the gates now. He had been traveling since dawn, intent on reaching the castle before nighttime. No attacks came, but he took it all in stride, knowing full well that this attempt of being peaceful was all part of the game Farkas was playing at.  
  
While he rode his horse out of Lunke, D had poured over all the information he had obtained the previous night. No matter how much he turned the matter over, he still could not come to believe that Kalman Farkas was a good ruler. Oh, he might be just and fair to his people, but that didn't mean he didn't have some darker intent behind his actions. He was a vampire, first and foremost, and that was enough to raise the suspicions of even the most trusting person on the planet.  
  
And D had never been a trusting person, specially when it came to the species he had vowed to dedicate his life to exterminate.  
  
Farkas was plotting something, he knew. He was probably using his façade of trust and fairness on the people he ruled over to attain some macabre plan; some plot that probably meant the eventual death of the townsfolk.  
  
There were few things that made D angrier than a vampire posing as an innocent being just to feed upon the people he tricked.  
  
As the day had worn on and he rode upon his horse, D's anger had fed upon the images he had seen last night. Visions of children playing on the sidewalks, of families enjoying their company together, of Petro and his grandson. All the lives the people of Lunke had built under the false impression Farkas portrayed of himself would end on the whims of the vampire Count. All the happiness they had known for all these years could be taken away any moment by the dark desires and decisions of their lord. The thought that he, Kalman Farkas, had perversely given them that happiness and joy only to take it away in the end as he willed, made the dunpheal's blood boil with a hate so intense that he could not remember ever feeling such strong hatred towards an enemy.  
  
D was looking forward to his fight with Farkas, more so than he usually did. He was going to enjoy piercing the vampire through the heart. He was going to enjoy watching him die.  
  
It was mid-afternoon when D rode up to the gates. The guards leaned over the edge of the wall to get a better look at him.  
  
"I am the Hunter, D. I have business with the lord of the castle."  
  
The guards only stared at him, and without a word, opened the gate.  
  
D rode into the courtyard, the hooves of his horse sounding incredibly loud on the cobblestones in the surrounding silence. Flowering trees were all about him, and he could see that the castle gardens were immense.  
  
'How predictable of a vampire,' thought D. 'Trying to surround himself with beauty to hide the ugliness that lays inside his heart.' The flowers and colours all around him did nothing more than to spur his anger further.  
  
He eventually came to the steps leading to the huge front doors of the castle. Dismounted, the dunpheal noted there was no one watching his entrance, that there was no one monitoring his progress. There was only silence. The fact only portrayed Farkas' self confidence. D respected that. There was nothing more annoying than having to fight the legions of monsters a vampire would send his way when he would enter it's dwelling.  
  
The Vampire Hunter made his way up the steps, and before he could knock on the doors, they opened.  
  
D let his fighter instincts kick in as he walked through them.  
  
He stepped into a huge hall. A high ceiling, filled with numerous candelabra, met his gaze as he swept it upwards, trying to get a bearing of his surroundings. Large windows on the walls allowed the sunshine to pour in, lighting the adorned marble columns that graced the sides of the room. A large staircase lay at the end of the hall, leading to the upper chambers, where the master of the castle dwelled, no doubt.  
  
It was towards this staircase that D made his way decisively. He wished to get this matter over with as soon as possible and his patience, shortened by his anger, was running thin. But as he came to the center of the chamber, the curtains along the windows began to close.  
  
He stopped dead in his tracks, his hand going to the hilt of his sword immediately. The blocking of the light could only mean one thing: Count Kalman Farkas was about to make his appearance.  
  
D chuckled mentally at the thought. The mere act of coming out in the daylight to fight him bespoke, once more, of the confidence Farkas had in himself. Few vampire lords would have come out at all, least of all during the sun's light, to meet a Hunter head on. Most would have sent their barbarois servants, as soon as he entered the front door, to deal with D or to at least detain him until it was dark. But Farkas had decided to face him immediately, face to face. This made the respect D had for the Count increase considerably. But still, he thought that the vampire probably had no idea of who he was about to pick a fight with.  
  
The curtains finally closed completely, and darkness engulfed the large chamber. All lay in the dark for a few moments, but then, the candles hanging from the ceiling lit, radiating dimly around the room.  
  
It was in this moment that a tall figure standing in the middle of the staircase decided to make its appearance.  
  
His eyes glowed red under the dimmed light, letting D know clearly of his presence. His face was angular and handsome, typical features of a vampire. But his white hair, unlike his vampire kin, was short. His long black cape hung from his broad shoulders, covering almost his entire body, except for the sword that lay strapped to his waist. The ease with which he carried it bespoke of his skills as a swordsman, as Petro had affirmed. D had no doubt that he would be a formidable foe.  
  
It was after long moments of silence that the elegant figure spoke.  
  
"Hunter D, welcome to my humble abode. You are well renowned, dunpheal. Let me introduce myself: Kalman Farkas, Count of the lands you have travelled for some days. I was informed you wished to see me. I come to answer your call."  
  
****** ******  
  
There you have it. Please review! 


	4. Chap3: Seeing is believing

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. If I did, I would've made 5 more films and turned it into a series! Hehe, just can't get enough of the dunpheal! ^_~  
  
******** ********  
  
A/N: Here's the D vs Farkas chapter. I really hope you enjoy it. I admit I had a hard time starting this, but in the end I managed to get it done.  
  
I took longer than I thought to upload this cause I went to the beach last weekend. : ) It was an excellent trip, though.  
  
Thanks to my friend Jimmy who's been so encouraging and supportive! *hugs him* And thanks for the reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate them!  
  
Well, on with the show.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"When trusted without fear, the guide will lead you beyond the sphere of the solar into the sphere of the lunar. The answers are beneath the surface."  
  
Kisma K. Stepanich, Faery Wicca Tarot  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Seeing is believing  
  
*******  
  
Once again, the reflection upon the mirror was overcome by mist. It swirled in it's purple hues until a voice could be discerned from it's movements.  
  
"Master, I have news", the bodiless voice spoke.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"The hunter has entered Farkas Castle, my lord. It shall all begin momentarily."  
  
"I told you to stay were you where. How do you know this?"  
  
"It was easy to possess the mind of a human farmer who saw the dunpheal pass by. I had him follow the hunter at a distance. The gullible half-breed didn't suspect the man, and Farkas would never be suspicious of one of his subjects."  
  
"Very clever. But what if the idiotic human were to tell someone that you invaded his mind?"  
  
"That is not a problem, master."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Because I had him fall accidentally and erased his memory completely. He won't even remember his wife and children when they find him."  
  
Dark gleeful laughter was all that answered.  
  
*******  
  
D drew his sword in a blink of an eye and lunged himself towards the stairs, climbing with unbelievable speed. His sudden attack would have caught even the most prominent fighters off guard, such was the agility of the dunpheal.  
  
But Kalman's sword was ready to meet his attack.  
  
They locked blades for a moment, standing face to face.  
  
"I truly do not wish to fight you, dunpheal," Kalman said.  
  
"Then don't," replied D in a cold tone. "It would make my job a lot easier."  
  
With that, he growled and pressed into his attack, forcing Kalman to climb back a few steps.  
  
The sound of metal against metal rang throughout the immense hall for some minutes, testament to the skill of both fighters.  
  
D found the vampire was indeed a veteran swordsman, for he handled his sword with great ability and countered some of his best attacks with little effort. But he felt that the Count was holding back. Farkas was playing defense and was not attacking D at all. It seemed he was speaking the truth when he had expressed his unwillingness to fight the Hunter.  
  
Suddenly, Kalman changed tactics, attacking ferociously. The dunpheal was forced to step back and spin around to avoid his blade. But as he turned to face the Count once more, all he met was empty space.  
  
D looked up to see the vampire flying across the air, only to come down at the other side of the room, his long black cloak settling perfectly around him as he landed.  
  
Few could have pulled that move with the dunpheal and succeed. D's respect for the vampire was yet again reaffirmed.  
  
"You have come into my home, Hunter, and I have welcomed you peacefully. Why is it that you attack me?"  
  
"You have answered your own question Farkas. My profession is to annihilate evil creatures like you."  
  
A look of sadness passed through the vampire's face as he heard those words, but was quickly dismissed.  
  
"Tell me then," he said. "Who is it that has offered you money in exchange for my head?"  
  
"You have taken the lives of two children, and I have come to make sure you answer for your crime," said D as he slowly came down the steps where he still stood.  
  
"And what evidence do you possess that gives you the certainty that it was I who committed this crime?"  
  
"The word of their father is enough", said D, anger rising with every word.  
  
"Did you see the children's bodies? Did you see the marks of a vampire on their necks?"  
  
"I had no need to see them", D practically growled as he reached the floor of the hall. "I know what a monster like you is capable of."  
  
"I agree that many of my kin are not respectable, and that evil runs through their veins, but that is not my case. I assure you, I did not commit the crime for which you hunt me. I shall prove it to you."  
  
D was taken aback by the whole notion. A vampire pleading innocence; it would all have been quicker if he just admitted what he had done. The dunpheal was tempted to end this stupid talk and just attack the Count. Something inside him told him to listen.  
  
Kalman saw that D was not about to attack him, which he took as ascent for him to give an explanation.  
  
"Tell me," the Count said quietly. "Did the father of the children happen to be a rich merchant travelling in an opulent carriage?"  
  
D nodded his head, aware that Farkas had just admitted the knowledge that he knew who the merchant was.  
  
"A carriage pulled by four white cyborgs?", the vampire continued.  
  
D nodded again, but he wasn't sure of what the Count was playing at.  
  
"I am sure that when you received the news that this rich merchant wished to hire you, you tried to contact him as soon as possible. Did you not?"  
  
Kalman took D's silence as an affirmative answer.  
  
"But you were told business would detain him until dark. Would a father questing for vengeance place business before his children's deaths? Does that not seem a little odd?"  
  
Something inside D's mind clicked. He had been a bit confused when the merchant requested him to meet just after sunset. But he had decided not to press the issue, for he knew that a man of status would be a busy entrepreneur. Then again, wouldn't the rich man have the means to just detain his business for a whole day when his children had died not long ago? Something wasn't right.  
  
D looked up at Kalman, realizing where the vampire's line of thought was heading.  
  
"I see your mind has travelled down the same path as mine, D. A caring father would never place his work before his children. I am sure he seemed quite afflicted with the whole notion once you finally managed to speak to him."  
  
That was true. D remembered quite clearly how the merchant had wept as he spoke to the dunpheal. The man had been so embarrassed with the whole notion that he had not lowered the hood of his cloak for shame that the hunter would see his weeping face. The man had not let D see his face.  
  
D's eyes met Kalman's.  
  
"He didn't let you see his face, now, did he?", said the Count, a smile of resignation on his face. "Of course he wouldn't. He was too ashamed for you to see him cry. So why, dunpheal, did he appoint your meeting until the end of his workday? If he had been so affected he would have seen you immediately."  
  
D's mind was revisiting the encounter. He was trying to remember everything that had occurred during his meeting with the merchant. He had come to where the carriage was and had waited for the man to come out. His servants bade him to wait. When the man finally stepped out, he was weeping almost uncontrollably. After a moment he told the dunpheal all about his children and their violent death. Of how a week before, the children had been murdered by a vampire, Kalman Farkas. He gave D half of the money, saying he would be paid the other half once the merchant had seen Kalman's head. With that, the merchant stepped back into the carriage and left. The whole process couldn't have taken more than fifteen minutes.  
  
Kalman could see the doubt creeping into the dunpheal's face and knew that this was his opportunity.  
  
"You met him out on the road, did you not?" he continued to say. "I am sure he didn't even invite you into the carriage."  
  
D grew suddenly angry. "How do you know all this? How did you come by all this information if you did not commit the crime for which you are being accused?"  
  
"The answer is simple, D," Kalman replied with all honesty. "I know all this because if you had indeed stepped into the carriage, all you would have found inside was coffin."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I am afraid, dunpheal, that you have been set up."  
  
With that, D attacked Kalman with all his speed.  
  
"You lie," he said coldly.  
  
"I do not lie, Hunter. I tell the truth," replied Kalman, as he parried D's blows.  
  
"I am afraid that your credibility is quite lessened due to the circumstances, Farkas. You are just trying to save your neck!"  
  
"I do not lie, dunpheal!"  
  
Kalman took the offensive and started attacking, forcing D back. Steel met steel as both fighters battled around the huge room. Each one meeting the other's blade perfectly. Their intricate dance lasted for a while, all their movements matching gracefully.  
  
D slashed out, forcing Kalman to jump back. He kept coming, forcing the vampire up against one of the columns.  
  
Kalman knew he had to calm the Hunter down, or else his chances of proving his innocence would diminish considerably. One of them would indeed die if the fight continued.  
  
When D came close, Kalman parried defensively stopping D's deadly blow. The dunpheal forced the Count's blade back, but Kalman sent a kick out to his knee. D drew back in pain, giving the vampire all the space he needed. He pushed D back and jumped, landing a few feet away.  
  
"Use your head dunpheal!" he shouted. " Do not let your anger cloud your mind. You know all I've said was true. The merchant met you until nightfall, he never let you see his face, he did not invite you inside his carriage. You weren't shown the children's bodies because they were already buried. But I'll tell you the truth: he didn't show you the bodies because there never were any children!"  
  
D stopped dead in his tracks, his mind absorbing all that Kalman was saying. All the details the vampire was giving him were true, but it was unbelievable that he could have been so easily fooled.  
  
"He knew you would not need much convincing," Kalman continued more softly after a moment. " He played you by your weakness, D. He knew you would chase after a vampire who had slaughtered two children without very little prompting. He knew it would take little to convince you to take up the hunt."  
  
It was true. He admitted it. When he had heard that two helpless children had been victims to a vampire, he had accepted the job immediately. He hadn't asked questions; he had taken the money, not doubting in the least that what had been said to him was true. Now, he wasn't so sure. And that made him angry.  
  
"How can you be so certain of what you are saying, Farkas?" he asked quietly. "And why, of all things, should I believe you?"  
  
Kalman was quiet for an instant, as if deciding to share some essential information with D. A look of intense pain flashed through his face before he answered.  
  
"Because D, the vampire that set you up is the same vampire that killed my father."  
  
D was confused for a moment. "Wasn't your father killed by a Hunter?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, he was," Kalman answered. "A Hunter who was set up in the very same way you are being used right now."  
  
D stared blankly at him.  
  
"The reasons that bring you here make up the same story the Hunter brought to my father, so long ago. Every single detail. My father knew he was being framed, and tried to explain himself. But the Hunter didn't listen. In the end, the man managed to take my father's life."  
  
He looked away for a moment, reliving painful memories. His hand holding his sword in a white knuckled grip.  
  
"That is why I am trying to stop you D", he said, still looking away. "So the blood of the innocent isn't spilled, either yours or mine."  
  
D did not know what to make of all this.  
  
Kalman sensed his hesitation.  
  
"I swear to you dunpheal, I did not kill those children. And if I had, I would be glad to have your sword pierce my heart," he said, looking directly into D's eyes.  
  
"I live under an intense moral code, not unlike yours," he continued. "I hold a sworn oath under the Council of Stormhold. And if I were ever capable of killing helpless children, I assure you, I would not live to tell the tale. The members of the Council would make sure I would receive the worst of punishments."  
  
There it was again, the Council of Stormhold. 'Just what does this Council do?' thought D frustrated.  
  
"If you need further proof, Hunter, then you may ask any of my subjects. I am sure they would all vouch for me. If you do not believe the word of a vampire, then you must believe the word of the humans you so dearly protect."  
  
"I am sure they would stand by your side, considering the amount of lies you have fed them."  
  
Kalman chuckled. "I see you consider my county some sort of unrealizable utopia were things are too perfect to be true. Well, dunpheal, I tell you again, I live under the rules of the Council. If I were to treat my subjects differently, then I would be sorely reprimanded."  
  
"You talk as if this Council is actually concerned with the lives of humans," said D, thoroughly unconvinced.  
  
"We truly are concerned, D. Why else would a lead my people the way I do? The Council of Stormhold protects those citizens that are under it's reign. It is a fact, whether you believe it or not."  
  
"I'll believe that when I see it," D replied coldly.  
  
The oddity of the situation was creeping up on him. It was all too strange. From the way Kalman spoke, he knew the vampire was being honest. But the ideas he was expressing, the principles behind what he was saying, went against centuries of experience. Vampires just didn't concern themselves with humans; humanity was the livestock from which they fed. D had learnt it to be so. Now, Kalman was trying to take these lifelong lessons and turn them upside down. The Hunter did not know what to think.  
  
Kalman smiled slightly. Then, as if deciding something, he said, "Well, if that is the case then, D, I cordially invite you to visit the Head of our Council. I am going to him myself, sometime soon."  
  
The Vampire Hunter didn't answer.  
  
"The Stormblade Baron would surely welcome you, and give you all the explanations you need. You see, it was he who established the very Council I now form part of."  
  
This was the second time D had heard of the Baron, and he had to admit he was curious to know who he was and what exactly it was that he was planning.  
  
"I may just accept your invitation, but I am afraid that our fight isn't over yet, Farkas," D replied, raising his sword once more.  
  
"I would truly love to stay and fight you D. I must admit that you have been the most worthy opponent I have met for quite some time. But you see, if I were to fight you, the result of that fight would indeed be the death of one of us, and I truly do not wish for us to be enemies."  
  
Kalman moved slowly towards the nearest window, sword poised defensively before him.  
  
"If you want the answers D, I will await you in Arkenia."  
  
"You are not going anywhere, Farkas. It is still light outside."  
  
"I know," the vampire smiled.  
  
And with that, he jumped through the window.  
  
********  
  
D followed, not wanting to allow his opponent to escape yet genuinely and surprisingly concerned for the count's welfare. As he passed the broken glass himself all he saw a large carriage ride away.  
  
D chuckled mentally. So there was more than one reason why Farkas had closed the curtains. While they were both busy fighting each other, some of the Count's servants had placed the carriage next to the window, so that when their master went through it, he would land safely into shadow. Clever.  
  
D watched as the horses pulled the carriage out of the gate and unto the road, away from the castle, out of sight.  
  
"You could actually follow him easily," he heard Left Hand say.  
  
"I know", was the only reply he got.  
  
Silence reigned for a few minutes. Left Hand couldn't take it after a while.  
  
"So? What are you going to do?"  
  
"I'm not sure," D replied sincerely.  
  
"Do you believe what he said about us being set up and all that?"  
  
D didn't really know. He was certain of one thing though, there had been something strange about the job. Something that he had not been able to place until Kalman had spoken to him. It seemed to him that the Count was telling the truth.  
  
He, D the Hunter, had been fooled.  
  
It wasn't a fact that was easy to swallow. D took pride in his abilities, more than he would openly admit. Still, his capabilities went beyond the average, and it would've taken a very powerful and intelligent vampire to fool him the way Kalman thought he had been fooled. The way he was starting to think he had been fooled.  
  
And if that was the actual case, then the vampire who had tricked him would surely meet his demise. No one played around with the Vampire Hunter D and lived to see another day. No one.  
  
The problem now recided in finding out who this vampire was. Kalman definitely knew the answer, but he hadn't told him his name.  
  
D chuckled mentally again. The Count had not shared the information on purpose so that he would be lured into going to Arkenia to obtain it. Again, very clever.  
  
D suddenly felt an instant liking for Kalman Farkas, even if it contradicted the way he led his life or with the oaths he had sworn. And for the first time, he readily agreed with the opinion Petro seemed to have of his ruling lord.  
  
But still, there were many holes needing to be filled, specially when it concerned the Council of Stormhold. And D was determined to fill those holes with the information he needed.  
  
'At least', he thought, 'I know were to find those answers.'  
  
D called his horse to him, the cyborg coming up to him slowly. He mounted and headed towards the gate at the leisurely pace that was so characteristic of him.  
  
"Hey!", Left Hand popped in. "Where are we going, then?"  
  
"To Arkenia, where else?", D replied, as he rode out into the waning afternoon.  
  
"You are hopeless dunpheal. Simply hopeless."  
  
******** ********  
  
Please review! You know you want to! ^_^ 


	5. Chap4: News, ill and favourable

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertainment purposes only. No offense is meant by it.  
  
********* *********  
  
Author's note: I got this chapter up quicker because I'm afraid I started a new semester at uni. this week! : ( It's my final year, and that means I'm going to be working my ass off. So I'm trying to get on with my story before all the work starts accumulating, as it usually does.  
  
Thanks again to those of you who read and review, and thanks to those who read but don't review as well, even though I'd appreciate it IMMENSELY if you dropped a comment my way. ^_^  
  
My main (and favorite!) vampire character in the story finally makes an appearance in this chapter. I know he's only a creation of my imagination, but I just ADORE him. *Drools over Vitéz* He came to me in a moment of true inspiration, and I'm actually writing this fanfic because he just decided to pop into my head. Weird, right? Hope you like him. ^_~  
  
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" 'Tis deeds, not blood, that determine the worth of a being."  
  
Dennis McKiernan, Silver Wolf, Black Falcon.  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
News, ill and favourable  
  
******  
  
Vitéz Lengyel sat on his armchair in front of the fireplace, like a king on his throne. The light cast from the fire being the only source of luminescence in the large room. His eyes were set on the dancing flames, their light playing with the lines of his face, casting orange shadows across his pale skin, enhancing his already captivating angular features.  
  
Anyone coming into the room would have thought that they'd stumbled upon a marble statue of an ancient god. So transfixed he was with the flames before his eyes. His long hair was held back in a ponytail by a black ribbon. Thick golden tresses shone brightly in the orange light. He wore a dark blue vest over his long sleeved white shirt, a similarly coloured cravat adorning his neck. His black trousers were tucked into his tall black leather boots, while his great cloak hung from the armchair in which he sat. He made a pure picture of royalty. Yet, he didn't move; his breathing imperceptible. He gave no outward sign of life.  
  
No sign except for the light shining from his pale gray eyes. A light announcing the life this mythical statue did indeed possess; a light which could make one think that this marble creature would wake up at any moment to grace the world with his presence. Such was the aura of beauty always surrounding Vitéz Lengyel.  
  
But those who were familiar with him knew it was a deceptive beauty. For beneath the heart stealing appearance, lay a quiet and incredible strength. This strength could only come with the power of a veteran vampire Baron. If he had been standing, his tall muscular form would have dwarfed even the most prominent vampires; his broad shoulders and thick arms could break any night creature's neck in a matter of seconds. When he walked into a crowded room, his mere presence commanded immediate respect from all those present.  
  
He never needed to turn to violence to get his messages across. And if he ever chose to do so, few would take up the challenge. Few would dare to cross steel with the Stormblade Baron.  
  
He was so called due to his mighty longsword, Gale, which possessed the ability to summon storms at its wielder's command. At the sword's forging long ago, many tried to become its master, and many died in the attempt. It took an immense amount of power and strength of mind to wield the magical blade, and the weapon lay without use for many a century. But then, Vitéz appeared. From the moment he lay his hand on the hilt, vampire and sword had become one.  
  
Gale was never far from his reach, even now, inside the safety of one of his chambers, it rested against his armchair. Both sword and master had seen many battles and duels; together, they had fought for their beliefs. For the sword possessed a secret none knew: it would never serve the hand of one with evil in his heart.  
  
Gale was a sentient sword, its blade was endowed with the power of spirit; the one who wielded it needed to possess a similar nature to the spirit inside the weapon. That was the reason only Vitéz had been able to become its master. After many years of companionship, both master and blade had risen to power. And thus, they became the most dreaded pair in vampire history.  
  
Now, as he sat on his armchair, an air of power was all about the Stormblade Baron and his mighty sword. All about this glorious marble statue and his weapon of justice.  
  
But the outer appearance of a cool and composed figure did not reflect the inner turmoil of thought that was going on inside Vitéz Lengyel´s mind.  
  
The Council had been quarreling about the procedures again, and he didn't know if he had the patience to listen to their squabbling during the next meeting. It was difficult enough to make ten vampire lords agree on matters of import without having them shouting at each other. Tempers between the members flared easily. It was true they were all working for an honourable cause and trying to achieve a greater good. But that sometimes did little to appease their differences.  
  
The Baron sighed, maintaining his pensive pose.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock at the door.  
  
"Come in," he replied, his deep voice resonating in the silence.  
  
The large double doors opened, and a tall figure stepped in.  
  
"Farkas Castle has been attacked," reported Beriszl to his Baron.  
  
Vitéz turned to regard him thoughtfully.  
  
"Kalman can defend his own castle easily enough. He has formidable defenses, not to mention his skills as a swordsman. I am certain we have nothing to worry about, Beriszl," he replied, turning to regard the dancing flames once more.  
  
"It was the dunpheal," the Captain answered in a serious tone, giving all the needed explanation.  
  
The Stormblade Baron turned towards him suddenly, a troubled look in his eyes on his otherwise impassive face. Many thoughts raced through his mind. This could be the start of a long chain of events. It foretold of mayor changes. Things would start to go quickly from now on, and he was determined for them to go his way. He had awaited this moment for some time.  
  
"Where is Kalman?" he asked his Guard Captain.  
  
"He is on his way."  
  
"Did he manage to talk to the dunpheal?"  
  
"It appears so", Beriszl replied. "The barbarois reported that their master was not happy to fight the Hunter, and it seems he actually tried to talk his way out of the fight." By the tone of his voice, it was clear the Captain did not entirely believe this information.  
  
"Kalman Farkas, the Vampire Count, tried to talk his way out of a fight?" asked the Baron incredulously.  
  
Beriszl merely nodded.  
  
Now Vitéz knew he had heard it all. Kalman had always been an ill-tempered sort, easy to angry and violent when being so. The type of vampire that almost always started the fighting, his motto was: violence now, explanations later.  
  
Both vampires stared at each other for a moment, trying answer this mystery.  
  
It was after a moment that Beriszl spoke. "I was told that the reason why the Hunter chased after Kalman was related to his father's death."  
  
Anger flashed through Vitéz´s eyes. That was were the answers lay. His mind was working fast. He suddenly stood up, realization in his wrathful gaze.  
  
"Are you certain of this?" he asked, his tall imposing form partly illuminated by the light from the fireplace.  
  
"Yes. Kalman sent some barbarois ahead to inform you."  
  
The Baron gritted his teeth. This would indeed be the beginning.  
  
"What of the dunpheal?" he asked, controlling his anger for a moment.  
  
Beriszl smiled. "It would seem that the Count slyly lured him into coming to see you."  
  
"Did he, now?", the Baron replied, smiling himself. He held respect for the Vampire Hunter. Being one of the few who knew of the dunpheal's heritage, Vitéz was aware of the true power that lay within him. D's actions throughout the centuries spoke clearly of his principles as well. Indeed, the Vampire Hunter D was a dangerous enemy. But he could also be a powerful ally.  
  
Vitéz turned to Beriszl again, resolve in his grey-eyed gaze.  
  
"We have work to do," he said to his Captain. "I must get the Council to gather sooner than was foretold. We have important matters to discuss. Those opposing us have made their first move, now we must make ours."  
  
The Stormblade Baron raised his hand towards Gale, the sword flying immediately into his grip, it's blade gleaming as the leather belt magically strapped itself around his waist. Taking his long cloak, he wrapped it around his shoulders.  
  
"Watch out for Kalman," Vitéz said as he walked towards the door. "The Count must arrive very soon. Make sure he is ready to meet me by the time I get back."  
  
"Yes, sir," Beriszl replied with a salute.  
  
With that, the Baron stepped into the hallway, out of the room. Traversing the whole expanse of the castle, he was out the main entrance in no more than a blink of an eye.  
  
********  
  
A couple of days later, D found himself readying his horse outside Petro's inn, preparing to ride out of Lunke once more. He had decided to spend time provisioning for his journey and knew there would be no better place to do so than in the town who lived peacefully under the shadow of Farkas Castle.  
  
Petro came out the door, the last of D's supplies in his hands. The dunpheal had not asked for help, but the old man insisted. The Hunter was not used to having people do things for him, always preferring to do things himself. But as he thought over the habit, it was probably due to the fact that he never had much companionship, being alone for most of his life. He had chosen to live in such a way so that no one would grow close to him and viceversa. Depending on another person was a weakness, something he couldn't afford in this dangerous profession.  
  
It was this reason that drove him to excel. If he did not become the best, he would never survive. Vampire Hunters usually banded into small groups, using their combined strength and intellect to overcome the creatures of the night. But for D, that wasn't an option. No human would ever take a dunpheal as a partner, would never place his or her life in his trust. He was alone in this world, and alone he would face it. He had never needed anyone, and he doubted if he ever would.  
  
D took the supplies out of the Petro's hands, placing them in his cyborg's saddlebags. The old man stood back, watching the dunpheal with interest, aware of D´s slight discomfort with his presence. Petro knew the source of it though; D was used to being alone. Having someone looking over his shoulder was prone to make him edgy. The old man wondered, not for the first time, what torturing experiences he must have suffered to voluntarily lead an eternal lifetime of solitude. He decided to press his luck.  
  
"Well Master D, it seems you're almost ready", he said amiably.  
  
D merely nodded in response.  
  
"The road to Arkenia isn't long. You just follow the western route for a couple of weeks, 'till you come to the Windswept Mountains. From there, you can cross the mountain range through the Kartal Pass; that will lead you straight into the barony you're searching for. The whole journey should take you no more than two and a half weeks. I'm sure that's nothing for you, considering how long you've been travelling. For you, this should be no more than a weekend's getaway," he laughed.  
  
The dunpheal remained silent, checking the balance and weight of his saddlebags.  
  
After a moment, Petro continued. "Most people who travel to Arkenia usually do it in caravans. Not that the roads aren't safe. It's not that at all. People travel in groups to keep each other company. For a human, travelling for two and a half weeks could be considered a long journey. I've done it various times, and I can tell you, it can become tedious without anyone to talk to, not to say that it becomes boring. But I'm sure you don't have that problem, master D, preferring the peace and quiet of the lonely road. Most people would probably love to be like you! Not minding the solitude and all that."  
  
For an instant, a pained look crossed D's eyes. Hiding his face under the brim of his hat, his reply came after a moment, barely a whisper.  
  
"I cannot think of a single reason why any person would want to be like me."  
  
"And why is that?" Petro asked, noting the dunpheal's intent to hide his hurt. "You seem like a very decent fellow."  
  
D closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply. "That is far from the point, innkeeper," he replied calmly. "I am a dunpheal, half-vampire. I am not allowed to have an ordinary life."  
  
He walked to the other side of his horse, checking the ties of his reigns.  
  
Petro walked up to the horse, looking at D intently across the cyborg.  
  
"Let me tell you something," he said, a serious tone in his voice. "Throughout my lifetime I have seen many things, some good, some bad. But from all that I have experienced, I can tell you one thing: it takes more than a where a man's origins to measure his worth. In my life, I have seen humans act more evilly than any feared vampire ever would; and I have seen a vampire give more kindness than any loving man could give."  
  
By now, D was facing the man, a mild look of surprise on his face.  
  
"We all know of your deeds, Vampire Hunter. We all know how you strive to achieve goodness in this world."  
  
Now D's surprise was complete. Petro was confessing he knew his true identity, and even so, he had welcomed him into his town, into his inn. The innkeeper knew all along that D came seeking Farkas' head. Despite the fact, not only Petro, but the whole village, welcomed him amiably.  
  
"Yes D, we knew who you were all along," the old man smiled. "Your actions are famous throughout the world, and that doesn't exclude Lunke, no matter how eccentric we may seem to foreign eyes. But I believe it is precisely this eccentricity, which allows us to see more than what is shown to us. Your dunpheal blood means nothing to us; the way you lead your life tells us all we need to know."  
  
D stared at the man, not knowing how to respond and not certain if he was able to. While listening to Petro, a strange feeling had come over his chest. At the beginning, he couldn't pinpoint it exactly. But now, as he looked down at the smiling face of the innkeeper, he recognized the feeling as something he had not experienced in a very long time. Gratitude.  
  
He looked down for a moment, closing his eyes, cherishing the feeling. How long had it been since he had allowed himself to feel something such as this? He truly didn't know.  
  
As D looked up again, he met Petro's gaze with a smile of his own.  
  
It was small smile, but coming from the dunpheal, it was worth more than any vampire lord's treasure.  
  
The Hunter mounted quickly, leading his horse down the road.  
  
As the tall figure rode away, Petro called out. " D, remember that you will always have a place to stay in Lunke! You will always be welcomed here!"  
  
The rider turned his horse towards him for a moment.  
  
"Thank you," were all the words he said.  
  
D pulled the reigns of his horse, turning back towards the road. He spurred his cyborg into a gallop, as he made his way out of Lunke.  
  
The innkeeper waved in farewell, even if the dunpheal could not see him. He stood smiling with satisfaction until the receding figure was out of sight. Petro turned round and entered his establishment, silently wishing the Hunter the best of luck.  
  
********  
  
"How could he fail!?", the anger of the voice shook the jeweled frame of the mirror.  
  
"I do not know my lord," the purple mists answered humbly. "I could not see the fight myself. I am only aware of Farkas´ escape from the castle."  
  
"Curse that damned Count! Curse him!"  
  
A lapse of strained silence followed. Only after a moment did the mists speak again.  
  
"Master, I am under the impression that the Hunter intends to follow Farkas."  
  
"Probably so, but we cannot rely on him any more. We must take matters into our own hands, now."  
  
"But that is dangerous, sire. We may be discovered."  
  
"I am aware of the problem, but it is a risk we must take. Follow the wretched Farkas, my servant. I clearly suspect he is heading towards Arkenia, going to hide behind his master, no doubt. Make sure the Count does not reach the walls of Stormhold."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
********** **********  
  
As you sit in front of your computer, you look into the Jedi Master's eyes as he slowly waves his hand in front of you.  
  
"You want to leave a review for this story." "You will leave a review for this story."  
  
Hehe.you can't overcome the power of the Force! ^_^ 


	6. Chap5: Travel and friendship

Diclaimer: I don´t own Vampire Hunter D. I'm merely borrowing. But Vitéz Lengyel is entirely MINE...all mine...my own...my precious! (Please ignore the ramblings of a delusional writer, hehe.) ^_^  
  
******* ******  
  
Author's note: Well, here's the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews!! Thanks to Kitala who couldn't resist the power of the Force *lol* and to Mystic who likes my names! ^_^ Thanks to Virtex too! You have no idea how all your reviews have motivated me! *hugs everyone* MUCHÍSIMAS GRACIAS!!!!!  
  
I have to say that I´ve always wondered about D´s past and all that must´ve happened to him when he was young. I´ve wondered what his relationship with his father and mother was like, and what events led him to live like he does. So, in my sometimes over-imaginative mind, I came up with some answers of my own making, trying to give our beloved dunpheal a history. Hope you like the result. ^_^  
  
Here goes...  
  
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"No road is long with good company."  
  
Anonymous  
  
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Chapter 5  
  
Travel and friendship  
  
******  
  
D rode up to the Windswept Mountains a week later. Passing the rocky hillsides at their base, he made his way steadily towards the Kartal pass, intent on reaching Arkenia within the next three days.  
  
It had taken him less time to reach the pass than what Petro suggested. D's horse was an enhanced cyborg, endowing it with extraordinary endurance. Petro, oblivious to the dunpheal's habits, had overlooked another small detail as well. D didn't usually stop to rest after sunset. He travelled, and preferred to do so, during night time.  
  
Having lived through some harsh experiences due to heat syndrome, D was aware of his susceptibility to the sun's light, making the dark veil of night his preferred time to travel. This brought about some inconveniences, though. Night creatures would constantly try to ambush or attack him, thinking the dunpheal easy prey, forcing him to fight countless battles.  
  
The events of the previous night where clear evidence of this inconvenience. He decided to travel until midnight, planning on resting during the early morning. But before he could come to a stop, a group of werewolves had ambushed him on the road.  
  
He was outnumbered five to one, and werewolves were vicious creatures. But overall, the situation was not a problem for the Vampire Hunter. He disposed of them easily. The only inconvenience came when one of his attackers decided to flee. Knowing the werewolf would only go calling the rest of his pack, D was forced to follow. The last thing he wanted was to face a whole pack of angry werewolves. It had taken him until dawn to catch up with the creature, since it knew the terrain and was hard to track.  
  
Therefore, he was not allowed to rest during the last half of the night, being forced to sleep for some time after dawn. He did not want to overexert himself, since he did not know what circumstances might have to be faced upon his arrival to Arkenia.  
  
D did know one thing, though. He was not hunting Kalman anymore. Concluding that the whole job was a farce, D did not want to continue pursuing the vampire. The Count had been nothing but honourable towards him, and D owed him no less. As long as Farkas did not commit any crime that he was sure of, D was not going after him.  
  
The dunpheal was heading towards Arkenia for different reasons. Firstly, he wanted to find out who exactly had been the one to set him up. Farkas was the only person aware of this information. D was determined to find out more about the Council of Stormhold, as well. But most importantly, he was set on figuring out who this Stormblade Baron was.  
  
Apparently, he was the vampire leader, the one who united the vampire council. D was well aware of the fact that he must possess incredible powers to take on such an enterprise. From what he was told, the Baron had been Kalman's master, implying two things. Stormblade had taught him the sword and, most importantly, had given Kalman Farkas his principles. Values which did not concur with D's conceptions of what a vampire should be or should think.  
  
Who was this Baron? Who was this lord who possessed such revolutionary ideas? For D had no doubt they were far from the norm. He was also aware that a vampire holding such principles would have more than a handful of enemies, coming directly from his own kin.  
  
Thinking it over, D asked himself why he had not come across any information concerning the Baron before. Having travelled for centuries in pursuit of the creatures of the night, he was bound to come across some small detail or rumour, at least.  
  
The answer came to him suddenly. The dunpheal was not aware of Stormblade's existence because his enemies, the very vampires he hunted and slew, made certain the Baron remained unknown. Among the ranks of the evil beings, any views which took humanity into consideration could only be perceived as the worst perversion of the vampire mind. Any tolerable tendencies towards humans would be immediately eliminated, before they spread like a disease. It was a wonder someone like Stormblade existed.  
  
This point only made D return to contemplate the fact of the Baron's power. Much to his dismay, the thought of the vampire made his mind travel down paths he had previously avoided at all costs. His thoughts turned to his father.  
  
The hate that sprung into the dunpheal's heart was almost overwhelming. A reason why he constantly avoided the topic. And with it, came anger. D was never able to come to terms with some of his childhood experiences. At a young age, he decided to leave his home, to live a life of exile out of his own free will. Some of the things he lived through during the time he resided within the confines of his father's castle were too much for his young heart to bear.  
  
D was only a child, in vampire terms, when he left the castle on that fateful day and was not aware of the way his father had ruled over other vampires. Was he a just and fair ruler, as Kalman was? Hardly. Did he concern himself with the well being of those humans under his reign? Not likely. Did he possess high morals or principles which he taught to others? Definitely not. Was he open to discussing matters of state in a council with fellow rulers? If he could barely acknowledge the existence of his own son, it wasn't probable for him to acknowledge another person's right of opinion.  
  
As he rode on towards the looming mountain range, the dunpheal was a turmoil of emotions. His childhood always placed him off-balance. The ambivalence he felt for some of his earlier experiences was always a source of confusion for him. But amidst the contradictions, one thought was clear.  
  
In D's perception, the Vampire King was nothing more than a monster.  
  
*******  
  
The dark veil of night fell over the land. Not a being stirred under the watchful eye of the crescent moon, only the cool breeze of spring passed noticeably across a large tree standing on the side of the freeway. The road lay covered in shadow, like a black snake slivering over the hills.  
  
Along the contours of this obsidian reptile, the sound of an approaching vehicle could be heard. Its urgency reflecting it's occupants' desire to reach their destination. As the moments passed, four horses came into view, pulling the carriage with all their might.  
  
The curtains covering one of the windows opened slightly, allowing a small amount of light to shine down upon the road. A figure could be seen for a moment, staring across the expanse of the land, but disappeared quickly, hiding inside the confines of the vehicle.  
  
The lone tree saw the carriage pass. It's barbarois driver urging the horses even more as it drove away, going out of sight around the corner, presumably unaware of the presence of a follower.  
  
As the noise from the vehicle died down, in the direction the carriage had come from, a cloud of purple mist could be discerned. Travelling with speed, it kept a safe distance so as to avoid detection.  
  
The purple haze approached the tree with no intention of stopping until the completion of its appointed task. But as it made it's way under the shifting shadow of its branches, a dark shadow came down from the leaves. A flash of silver came from the blur of black, and suddenly, the cloud could not will itself to move.  
  
Stopping abruptly, the haze dropped to the ground. The mists moved circularly within itself, forming a humanoid shape, to materialized on the road as dark as shadow.  
  
The wraith clutched at its chest as it knelt, feeling a stinging beyond anything it had felt before. Breathing heavily, it tried to discern what had just happened. It had not sensed any presence, there couldn't be anyone around. But it had been attacked. It was sure of that. It felt the sting of a sword clearly. By who? Who could jump at it with such stealth? No one was able to sneak up on a wraith.  
  
Suddenly, it became aware of the fact that it was not alone. Tensing, the humanoid shadow looked up slowly. It's red eyes widening in surprise.  
  
The cloaked form of Vitéz Lengyel stood on the road in front of it, Gale in his right hand, gleaming in the moonlight.  
  
"You did not perceive my presence because I did not wish for you to become aware of it," the Baron said calmly, his deep voice devoid of emotion.  
  
The wraith growled, but did not say anything. It knew it's predicament. The Stormblade Baron was its master's worst enemy. Not only that, he was one of the most powerful vampires in existence.  
  
Vitéz paced slowly forwards, addressing the kneeling shadow.  
  
"I made sure my lands were purged from foul creatures such as yourself a very long time ago. I made clear I did not want any of you mind-wraiths to come near my borders."  
  
The vampire stepped closer, Gale's gleaming blade tip leveling with the wraith's throat.  
  
"I thought my warnings were enough to keep you creatures at bay. You risk much by coming here."  
  
The dark creature did not answer, it's mind intent on finding some means to escape. It could never pretend to match the Baron in terms of strength, and honestly it didn't want to press its luck. The wraith's main means of attack consisted in invading the mind of it's enemies, possessing their body and brain entirely, giving them complete control of the other. This required a certain amount of strength, depending on the opponent. But there was nothing which could give more pleasure to a mind-wraith than possessing a powerful being.  
  
The wraith looked up at Vitéz. The Baron smiled.  
  
The shadow knew it was being tempted. Tempted into attacking the vampire. It would be so easy, so delicious to drain this powerful creature of thoughts.  
  
But then the wraith met the Baron's eyes. Seeing the challenge present in their icy depths, it suddenly knew it would never, in this world, stand a chance against the mind of Vitéz Lengyel.  
  
With merely another thought, the wraith turned and fled, faster than the wind.  
  
But not faster than the Stormblade Baron.  
  
In an instant, the vampire was in front of the fleeing shadow, driving his wicked sword through its heart.  
  
"I told your master long ago that if he ever threatened a member of my council again, I would make him suffer beyond anything imaginable. Tell him I intend to keep that promise."  
  
With that, he withdrew his sword, the wraith´s body dropping soundlessly to the ground. Purple mists left the corpse rapidly, flying into the night sky.  
  
Vitéz Lengyel looked up after its receding shape, barely contained anger in his gaze. After a moment, he sheathed his sword and pulled up the hood of his cloak.  
  
His tall form walked slowly down the road, blending perfectly in the darkness, until a few instants later, it disappeared entirely.  
  
********  
  
Left Hand instantly felt the Hunter's change in mood, feeling D's anger run wild within him quite clearly. This could only mean one thing: the dunpheal was thinking about his childhood again. The symbiont knew this was a touchy subject, and did not have the courage to tease the dunpheal about it. Left Hand was not exactly sure of what things D was forced to experience, but was aware of the devastating impact they must have had. Growing up in a vampire society would surely take its toll on a child. Specially if one was the vampire Prince, innocence stolen practically in the moment he was born. The symbiont could not help but feel sorry for his friend.  
  
As much as he detested to admit it, the parasite had come to care deeply for his companion. Not only in the sense of caring about what happened to the dunpheal in direct relation to his own well being. Left Hand had come to look at the Hunter with the eyes of a friend. Aware that he was probably the only companion D had ever come to travel with, Left Hand also knew more about the dunpheal than anyone alive.  
  
Through centuries of quests and battles, through years of travel, the symbiont had managed to piece together many subtle clues about the Hunter. For instance, Left Hand knew D sacrificed so much for the sake of others because his mother had taught him so. She helped ill people at one of the health centers in her village, and had shown D the importance of giving to the less fortunate and of helping the weak. This caring woman was the certainty D clung to during most of his childhood life, until an event of undeniable tragedy separated them, after which she passed away. Left Hand was not sure of what exactly happened, but he knew it was a turning point in D's existence. A moment which determined the way D saw and led his life; a moment that took him down the paths which made him the person he was today.  
  
Today, the dunpheal resembled a fuming volcano. Left Hand chuckled at the thought of fumes coming out of the Hunter's ears. Thanking whatever God was watching them at the moment, the parasite was relieved to see that D wasn't aware of his mirth. However, the symbiont was determined to lighten the mood, and to remind the dunpheal, as he usually did, of the funnier side of things.  
  
"Well, looks like these are the Windswept Mountains. The Kartal Pass should be just over those rocks. Took us less time than what that demented innkeeper said."  
  
At the mention of Petro, D relaxed a little, a small smile almost gracing his features. Almost.  
  
"At least he gave us the right directions. Not bad for an old decrepit fellow."  
  
Left Hand mentioned the old man on purpose, knowing D had grown fond of Petro. And the symbiont was obviously not going to miss the opportunity to tease him about it.  
  
"He isn't that old," D said quietly.  
  
"So that's how it is, huh?", the parasite replied to the dunpheal's defensive answer. "Ahh, how cute. The dunpheal's made a friend!"  
  
D didn't deign the comment with an answer, though Left Hand could tell he wasn't really upset. The Hunter was actually somewhat pleased with the symbiont's use of the word friend.  
  
"I'm afraid you're getting soft, dunpheal. First you act all talkative with the old man, and then you strike up some casual chit-chat with a vampire; the very evil creature you set out to kill, I might add. A conversation which ended up telling you, in no small terms, that you've been labelled a complete jack ass by your opponent! What humiliation!" The symbiont's laughter echoed all around.  
  
D kept silent, letting Left Hand have his moment.  
  
"You'd better watch out from now on, dunpheal, or one day you'll wake up with a knife slicing your throat, and then were would I be? Geez, you'd better not disappoint me, man. I haven't been stuck to your hand all these years just to end up getting murdered. Have some consideration, will ya?"  
  
The parasite kept babbling on about the deterioration of D's skills, and how he'd only survived through all this time due to Left Hand's considerate cooperation.  
  
The dunpheal kept silent, used to such verbal onslaughts. Smiling inwardly, his childhood ordeal forgotten momentarily, D welcomed the murmur of sound that was Left Hand's voice. Grateful for the company, he knew the parasite had made the long years of his life strangely bearable. But D would die rather than to confess such thoughts to the symbiont.  
  
No matter what Left Hand said, his skills were not diminishing. Which was why, with his enhanced senses, D was not surprised at all when the huge dark form dropped in front of them from the top of a boulder and attacked.  
  
*******  
  
Kalman Farkas stepped out of his carriage in front of the great doors leading into the Castle of Arkenia. Sighing in relief, he was thankful his journey had been uneventful. Having expected an attack as soon as his carriage left his home, Kalman was prepared to fight every inch of his way to Arkenia if he had to. But as it turned out, it was an unnecessary precaution.  
  
Kalman turned towards the doors as they slowly opened, a tall figure coming down the front steps to meet him. The Count smiled genuinely at the advancing form.  
  
Long black hair trailing in the night breeze, Beriszl Mátrai made his way down, coming to meet the arrival of one of his dearest friends. Both vampires clasped arms affectionally in greeting, glad to see each other.  
  
"It pleases me greatly that you have come to us unharmed, my friend," Beriszl said.  
  
"I am glad of it as well. More than you would think", replied Kalman, turning to regard his carriage, as a barbarois servant drove the vehicle towards the castle stables.  
  
"You do not need to worry about such things anymore, Kalman. Come, let us go inside so that you may enjoy of our hospitality once more. You are safe here."  
  
The Count nodded, turning to climb up the stairs beside his friend.  
  
They settled in one of the castle´s many sitting rooms. Large couches with stuffed pillows were all around the large chamber and a fireplace provided them with warmth. Kalman fell into one of the couches as soon as he walked through the door.  
  
"You look drained", Beriszl commented, going to the corner of the room. Taking the bottle of brandy from a nearby table, he filled two crystal cups.  
  
"You could not possibly conceive all I've been through," Kalman answered.  
  
"I know more than you´d think," the Captain chuckled in answer, making his way over to were his friend lay. Giving Kalman a cup, he settled into a large armchair across from the Count.  
  
"You may have the knowledge of what has happened to me, but I´m afraid you haven´t experienced it first hand, my friend," Kalman answered, emptying his glass in one long drink.  
  
Beriszl smiled, sipping his brandy at leisure. "Tell me about it, then," he said.  
  
The Count got up abruptly, making his way over to the corner, filling his cup once more and returning with the brandy bottle. Sitting down, he turned to Beriszl.  
  
"I have come across the knowledge that someone is after my life. Realizing the culprit is the very same person who plotted my father's death, I allowed the supposed murderer to enter my castle. I battled the Hunter during the daylight, escaped from my own home and made my way here, achieving all this in no more than a couple of days. And you still think I should not be drained?"  
  
The Captain chuckled at his friend's demeanor.  
  
"I haven't lived through such hectic events in many a century," Kalman continued. "But I'm afraid it doesn't end there. We still have many things to discuss for these tidings may bring many unexpected things."  
  
Beriszl lifted his glass, acknowledging the statement.  
  
Kalman sighed, glancing out the window. Suddenly, a surprised look crossed his eyes, belatedly realizing there was something missing.  
  
"Where's our Meister?"  
  
"I came to inform him of your coming and he suddenly left. You know how he is when he attains some sudden insight, an idea only his mind perceives, leaving us lesser beings wondering just what the hell happened," Beriszl answered, laughing quietly.  
  
Kalman smiled, knowing the antics of his meister very well. "Took off without saying anything again?"  
  
Beriszl nodded, sipping his glass. "He did manage to voice his wish to speak to you on his return. I'm certain he'll be back in no time at all."  
  
The Count sat back, apparently knowing he couldn't do anything about Vitéz, thus he decided to relax for the time being. After a moment he realized his friend was regarding him thoughtfully.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"You mentioned the fight with the Hunter," Beriszl replied, a curious glint in his black eyes. "Tell me about it."  
  
Both vampires smiled at each other. Being prominent swordsmen and having been disciplined under the eye of the Stormblade Baron, they were always seeking information about other fighters, other challengers. Since childhood, they had set up an unvoiced competition against each other by trying to determine which one of them had fought against the best opponents.  
  
"I have to say he lives up to his reputation," Kalman answered after a moment. "He is an excellent fighter. Quick and graceful, he portrays no doubt in his movements. A worthy opponent for either of us."  
  
"But you weren't able to finish your fight, were you?"  
  
"No. I made my exit as soon as I could."  
  
Beriszl smiled widely, chuckling softly.  
  
Kalman quirked an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Nothing," Beriszl said. A moment of amused silence passed before he continued, "Or maybe, Count Farkas was afraid and fled." The Captain had wanted to tease his friend ever since becoming aware that the temperamental Count tried talking his way out of the fight.  
  
The predictable outburst came and Beriszl hid his smile behind his glass.  
  
"I did not flee! And I was not afraid!" Kalman shouted, anger in his gaze. "For your information, I did not fight the dunpheal out of respect! He was involved in a plot and was not aware of it! I did the honourable thing. I could have fought and defeated him easily."  
  
"Could you?" asked the Captain, not even trying to hide his amusement.  
  
By now, Kalman was standing. "Of course I could have! Are you doubting my abilities!? I'll fight you now and prove you wrong!"  
  
Beriszl laughed heartily at his friend's temper. A temper that had gotten both of them into trouble more than once.  
  
"Calm down, Kalman, calm down", he said. "You know I'm just playing with you. I assure you, I do not doubt your abilities. I have seen the testament of your skills more than once."  
  
The Count managed to calm down, at least a little, as he sat again.  
  
"I've always told you, that temper of yours will get you killed one day," Beriszl said with a smile.  
  
"It'll get you killed, Mátrai, if you don´t watch what you say," replied Kalman.  
  
Both vampires looked at each other for a moment, then burst out with laughter.  
  
"You need another drink," the Captain said, pouring a glass for both of them.  
  
"You're trying to get me drunk."  
  
"Can't say I ain't."  
  
"Can't say it won't work."  
  
More laughter ensued as the friends enjoyed their time together. Moments like these were to be cherished, for with the events to come, neither of them knew when they might be able to share such peaceful times again.  
  
*******  
  
"You were saying?" D asked calmly, as he withdrew his sword from the giant beast's chest.  
  
The creature's attack had interrupted Left Hand in the middle of a rude comment which related D's old age with the deterioration of his skills. The symbiont was caught completely off guard, his words fading into an uninteligeble shout as D calmly drew his sword and with one precise strike, brought the beast down.  
  
As the horse stepped over the corpse, the parasite was a little short on words.  
  
D's quiet amusement could be felt for miles and Left Hand's silence only fueled it, giving the dunpheal a small victory over his companion.  
  
"Now don't let it get to your head!" the symbiont managed to say after it composed itself. "That was just a lucky shot."  
  
"Was it?" D asked, an amused tone in his voice.  
  
"Of course it was! Did you see the size of that thing? No one could've missed it."  
  
The dunpheal almost chuckled.  
  
"Fine, fine. I admit you aren't about to retire or anything. You've still got some cards to play. But not many I tell you," Left Hand said, trying to recover his dignity.  
  
D didn't answer, a small smile on his face.  
  
Left Hand contemplated the rider carefully, glad the dunpheal had come out of his foul mood, even if it was at his expense.  
  
The duo rode on in amused silence, as they made their way steadily to the pass between the mountains, each one glad of the other's company.  
  
******* *******  
  
There you have it. Hope you liked this chapter; it is a friendly chapter, isn't it? I'll try to up date as soon as possible, and the more reviews I get the sooner it'll be! (HINT! ^_~) Read and review! Thanks! 


	7. Chap6: Arkenia

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertaining purposes only. No offense is meant by it.  
  
******** ********  
  
Konnichiwa, everybody! Thanks for the reviews! I hope all of you are as happy as I am. I just got "The Thousand Orcs", R.A Salvatore's newest Drizzt book and I'm DYING to read it! I've been waiting since October to get it and I hadn't been able to have it in my grasp until now! Ahh, I'm so excited! I jumped around in glee when my dad gave it to me. He was like: "Hey, look what I found at the bookstore," and then, I proceeded to faint. Hehe. So I got this new chapter up quickly so I can read in peace. Don't worry, I won't set my story aside! All Drizzt Do' Urden can do is inspire me. ^_~ He is simple the BEST.  
  
Genjoe and Eerie: I'm so glad you like Vitéz! When I started writing, I wasn't sure if he was convincing; that's why I gave my all writing the prologue. He's the reason behind this story, so I'm really happy he's got some admirers out there. Thanks!  
  
Kitala: I promise I'll put up some more on D's past soon! Don't worry, we'll solve D's mystery. Hehe. ^_^  
  
Mystic: Got a new name for ya! Hope you like it. :)  
  
Hope you like the little group my vampires make. I see them as a true friends in my mind...I hope it reflects in my writing.  
  
Well, enough babbling...on with the show!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Here, in the light of the waning moon is the Queen of the Bad Faeries. Her domain is the night. She rules over dusk and darkness, shadows and shades (.) Every shroud has a silver lining. All things must die to be reborn. Just as life grows out of death, good can grow from those things we call 'bad'. In the darkness the seeds of good germinate, unfold, grow upwards towards the light. Faeryland is the land of paradox: In light there is darkness; in darkness light. You will find not absolute evil here within the Dark Queen's realm, for she is a queen of nature, a force of nature, formed from the dreaming earth. True evil exists only in the shadow of man, when he turns his back on the light."  
  
Brian Froud, Good Faeries, Bad Faeries.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Arkenia  
  
******  
  
"I really do hope you did not come all this way just get drunk on my brandy, or did you, Kalman?" A deep voice came from the vicinity of the doorway.  
  
The Count turned rapidly, as rapidly as he could, to see the Baron of Arkenia standing at the door, an amused expression on his face.  
  
"I thought I'd taught you better," he continued to say.  
  
"Meister!" said Kalman, standing abruptly, sobering with the presence of the Baron.  
  
Vitéz turned to regard Beriszl. "I also thought I told you to have him ready to speak to me when I returned."  
  
The Captain smiled from his armchair. "I did my best to try and make him relax but both you and I are aware of the fact that he cannot handle his drinking."  
  
The Baron turned to look at his late tanítvány who by now had a downcast look upon his face. Returning his gaze to Beriszl, who was trying hard to keep a straight face, Vitéz couldn't help it anymore. His laughter resounded throughout the room.  
  
Kalman looked up suddenly, realizing he was the source of their mirth. "Now just a moment," he said, anger rising in his voice. "You're meaning to tell me that I am the cause of your merriment just because I had a few drinks? After all I've been through, you dare accuse me of a little overdrinking? What kind of welcome is this!?"  
  
Beriszl laughed all the harder, noting the display of his friend's temper, yet again.  
  
"Come, come," the Baron said, laughter still in his eyes. "We were pulling your strings, Kalman." He approached the Count, who by now, smiled up at his meister, and embraced him fondly.  
  
"Good to see you have come to us alive and well," Vitéz said more seriously.  
  
"So am I", the Count answered.  
  
The Baron smiled, turning towards the table in the corner to pick up a crystal glass and another brandy bottle, for both his students had efficiently drained the contents of the previous bottle. Pouring himself a drink, he sat down on another armchair.  
  
"Where were you, Meister?" Kalman asked.  
  
"Making sure you were not attacked on your way here," the Baron responded.  
  
"What?"  
  
Vitéz sighed. "Beriszl told me of your suspicions. The Hunter who came after you was framed, in the very same way it happened with your father long ago. If that were the case, then surely someone would come after you, specially since you made your way to Arkenia. I went out to confirm those suspicions."  
  
"I was aware that someone might try to follow me. But I did not feel the presence of any creature behind me," Kalman answered, concern in his voice.  
  
"Of course you didn't," Vitéz replied, his eyes locking onto those of the Count. "It was a mind-wraith who followed you, my friend."  
  
Kalman stared back at him, shock in his gaze.  
  
"Then it is true," Beriszl whispered. "It is he."  
  
"Yes, it is true," Vitéz replied. "The Count Iosif Meszaros has made an attempt on your life Kalman. He succeeded in killing your father 300 years ago with the same plan, but it seems he has failed, for now. We will make his failure certain."  
  
Anger blazing in his eyes, Kalman nodded.  
  
"But how could Iosif think he could kill you utilizing the same lies he used last time? Surely he knew you would see right through the farce," Beriszl said, somewhat puzzled.  
  
"Of course he knew," Vitéz replied. "He knew we would see right through him. Iosif wanted us to know it was him. That is why he hired such a prominent Hunter to come after Kalman. The Vampire Hunter D is the best in his craft. The dunpheal has never failed in exterminating his quarry; Iosif was counting on it. Giving the Hunter such a heart breaking story, the murder of two children, the sly Count knew he'd come after you swiftly."  
  
"I told D the same thing," Kalman said softly.  
  
The Baron nodded slightly, before continuing. "Meszaros played the dunpheal with all the right cards, taking advantage of D´s high moral code and his hate for our kind. But his very plan backfired. D´s principles ruined the whole scheme, something the ingenious Iosif didn't foresee. D allowed Kalman to speak, giving him the right to defend himself, and being one of high intelligence, became aware of the farce immediately, staying his slaying hand. In the end, all Iosif gained was another enemy, and a powerful one too."  
  
Vitéz drank down his brandy, placing his glass on a nearby table.  
  
"And now the Hunter makes his way steadily towards us," he said momentarily. "Coming to find his answers, no doubt. But we will be ready to receive him and to tell our side of the tale."  
  
"Do you think he will listen?" Beriszl asked.  
  
"Of course he will," Kalman said before Vitéz could answer. "As Meister said, his intelligence will enable him to perceive our good intentions. The dunpheal is naturally drawn to noble causes, and if our cause isn't noble then I don't know what is."  
  
"You overlook one small detail, tanítvány", Vitéz said. "Do not forget the dunpheal has sworn his life to the extermination of our kind, and will not be swayed from his path easily. D´s hatred for us vampires has fed his cause during many centuries and I'm afraid it cannot be placed aside without difficulty."  
  
"Are you saying he will not approve of the actions we're taking?" Beriszl asked.  
  
"I am not saying he will and I'm not saying he won't," Vitéz replied. "It will be a difficult task for him to shift his point of view. With luck, I hope to make him see. But we cannot know any of this until he arrives, and he will do so in a few days. We will know then."  
  
The three vampires grew silent, each one absorbed in his own thoughts. It was only after a moment, realizing their master had not told them everything about his absence, that Beriszl posed his question.  
  
"Meister," he said, somewhat concerned. "What happened to the mind-wraith?"  
  
"Oh, I disposed of it quickly," the Baron answered, disgust in his icy gaze.  
  
Kalman smiled, aware of Vitéz´s apathy towards the creatures. "Did you destroy it?"  
  
"No, I let it keep its ethereal form. I decided to use it as a messenger," the Baron was saying. "I want Iosif to know that I am aware of his foul plans. I want him to know I do not fear him. And, he has very good reason to fear me. I intend to finish this once and for all."  
  
The anger in his countenance made both Beriszl and Kalman back away from Vitéz for an instant. They both knew the Stormblade Baron had a score to settle with Iosof Meszaros; a rivalry which dated back even before the death of Kalman´s father. A duel started in the days when the Vampire King ruled.  
  
Both vampires looked at each other, nodding in agreement. Beriszl spoke for both of them when he said, "You know we will be beside you through it all, Meister. We will follow you to the end."  
  
Vitéz smiled in appreciation. Considering himself lucky, he knew the vampires before him were the most loyal of friends, and could not ask for any better.  
  
"I know," he managed to say, but it was all he needed to speak, eyes shining with the type of gratitude which could not be expressed in words.  
  
With that, he stood up slowly. "It is late. The dawn is nigh. We creatures of the dark must take to our beds."  
  
"True," said Beriszl. "Come Kalman, I will take you to your chambers."  
  
"Thank you, my friend," replied the Count.  
  
The three made their way out of the room, leaving the hot embers of the fireplace alone in the approaching light of the sun.  
  
******* D marveled at the sights which greeted him as he made his way through Arkenia's main road. The highway was lined with flowering trees, petals flowing as the wind played with the branches. There was green everywhere. Spring had come upon this land with all its splendour.  
  
The beauty around him made D's heart lighten, making his travel much more enjoyable. Many would have thought he was not susceptible to the beauty of nature, having accustomed himself to the horrific sights experienced while hunting vampires. Instead, those experiences had attuned him more acutely to pleasant sights, though the dunpheal did not show it.  
  
Few would think it possible for the Vampire Hunter D, his imposing form all dressed in black, to take pleasure in a blooming flower.  
  
"Ahhh, look dunpheal, it's spring," Left Hand said. "It's the perfect season to fall in love, with flowers everywhere. Since I'm the only other being around, why don't you give me a kiss?" As he said so, the symbiont puckered his lips and started making kissing sounds.  
  
D almost rolled his eyes at the parasite's antics. How typical of Left Hand to ruin his enjoyment of the scenery.  
  
The road came to a small forest. Riding passed the trees, D could discern the sound of a small brook coming from his right. His water supplies were running low, thus, he decided to diverge from his path for a short while. It wouldn't do him any harm to stay and enjoy the forest, either.  
  
D rode up to the small river a few moments later. Dismounting quickly, he kneeled beside the water, taking some of it into his hands, drinking. He splashed some water unto his face, glad for the refreshment. Sitting down, he quietly contemplated the sounds around him, relishing the way the water trickled down a small waterfall not far away.  
  
Lost in his reverie, he could not have heard the sounds of someone approaching even if he'd wanted to. As he looked up the river, his muscles tensed immediately, for he stared straight into the green eyes of a very large cat.  
  
A northern tiger to be precise, it's orange fur shining in the sunlight. The cat's gaze bore into him. D did not dare to move a muscle. The feline stood so as well, not making any attempts to attack him. They looked at each other for a few tense moments.  
  
A sweet female voice interrupted their silent duel.  
  
"Sharaf, why did you stop?"  
  
If D had been surprised at seeing the tiger, he was now doubly taken aback by the fact that a small girl walked up beside the cat, placing a comforting hand on it's back.  
  
She turned to regard what her tiger was looking at.  
  
"Oh! Hello there," she smiled.  
  
The girl could not be more than eleven years old. The tiger's large head came up to her shoulders, making her seem much smaller. Her brown hair was short, reaching just beneath her ears. Large dark brown eyes shone with curiosity, as she took in the sight of the dunpheal. He noticed there were a couple of daggers hanging from her belt.  
  
"You're not from around here, are you?" she asked.  
  
D shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry if Sharaf startled you. He tends to try and intimidate strangers," she explained, eyeing the cat with reprimanding eyes.  
  
Turning to D, she smiled again, making her way over to where the Hunter sat, the tiger swiftly following.  
  
"What's your name?" she asked in a friendly tone.  
  
"D", he replied.  
  
She was not deterred by the Hunter's cold contrasting tone. Instead, the girl seemed not to have noticed.  
  
"Nice to meet you! This is Sharaf," she said, turning towards the tiger who sat a few paces away. " And I'm." But she trailed off from the introduction when she noticed the circular pendant hanging from D's neck.  
  
"Wow! That's beautiful," she said, pointing.  
  
D turned to see what exactly it was she was looking at, only to see his necklace shining in the sun.  
  
"Do you like it?" he asked, taking the necklace off and handing it to her. Something inside him told him he should be nice to the girl.  
  
Her smile nearly took off her ears as she grabbed the pendant. The jewel was so large it was almost the size of her hand.  
  
"Like it? I love it!" she said laughing.  
  
The sound of her laughter made D smile. The dunpheal was forced to admit the satisfying feeling surging in his chest as he realized he'd made the girl happy. He had always been amazed at a child's capability of making so much out of the smallest gestures.  
  
As she stood inspecting the necklace, the dunpheal managed to get a better look at her. The clothing she donned was filthy, dirt and dried mud clung to it. Her face and arms were also dirty. Her skin was tanned from many hours of exposure in the sun, a testament that proved the girl did not spend much time indoors. Knowing what it felt to be a child forced to stay locked up in a room, D felt genuinely happy for her. This also meant she was probably the daughter of one of the many farmholds surrounding the countryside; helping with the family chores, she was forced to spend great amounts of time outside.  
  
The girl finished looking at the pendant and handed it back. "It's amazing. Where did you get it?"  
  
"It was a gift."  
  
"I see," she replied, when the Hunter did not elaborate more.  
  
They stood for a moment in silence.  
  
"I was out picking mushrooms for Virya," the girl said conversationally.  
  
D could only assume that Virya was an older sister.  
  
"I volunteered to do it. I love spending time in the forest. Do you like it as well?"  
  
"Yes. It is very beautiful," he replied, glancing around.  
  
"I know it like the back of my own hand," she said proudly.  
  
"I'm sure you do," D replied with a small smile.  
  
"I know where to find the best mushrooms, where the best blooms are. I also know which trees the owls sleep in and where the vixens keep their dens. The other day I saw one passing by with her litter. She had six babies altogether. I told Sharaf not to go near them because he would scare them easily and they would all run away."  
  
To D´s own amazement, he gave his full attention to her.  
  
"You see, the problem is he tries to be friendly towards the other animals," she was saying. "But sometimes he just doesn't know just how scary he can be. Can you imagine just how big he must seem to a small baby fox? He looks like a giant!"  
  
D nodded his agreement, while Sharaf only made quiet sounds deep in his throat.  
  
"See?", she said, turning towards the cat and sticking her tongue out at him. Regarding D once more, she spoke. "The other day we climbed a tree and he tried to make friends with some hatchlings sitting in a nest. Their mother was so scared I think she almost had a heart attack!"  
  
Her laughter echoed through the forest once more, and D could not help but smile even wider, his eyes beaming. What was coming over him?  
  
Left Hand stirred in amusement; D was certain it was trying to make fun of him, calling him a soft emotional idiot, no doubt. But he closed his fist tightly; D was not about to let the parasite ruin the moment. His mocking comments would just have to wait.  
  
A splash came in the direction of the water. The small girl turned towards the brook, kneeling beside D as she looked into the water.  
  
"Did you hear that? It must be a water faery!"  
  
D looked down at the water as well. "Really?"  
  
"Yes! Everyone says they live in this brook. No fish big enough lives in it to make such a loud splash."  
  
The girl then proceeded to give D a thorough explanation of all the types of faery creatures inhabiting the forest. He sat quietly while she talked, taking in every detail. He proved to be a quick learner, for she would stop to ask him something she had just said every now and then; he answered correctly every time.  
  
Through it all, D sat there, mesmerized with the fact that he was being enchanted by the casual chatter of a small human child. For his life, he could not pinpoint why the sound of her voice soothed him or why he had the sudden urge try his best to keep a smile on her face.  
  
"It is very important for you to learn all of this, D," she said. "You never know when you'll meet a faery, and you must know how to act properly towards one so that you won't be taken away for a hundred years!"  
  
"Thank you for the warning," the dunpheal said, not mentioning the fact that one hundred years was not a very long time for him.  
  
Their talk, or more precisely her talk, would have continued for much longer. But Sharaf growled loudly, letting the girl know it was getting late. The afternoon was well on its way.  
  
"Oh my, I have to go. Virya will kill me if I don't get these mushrooms in for supper!" With that, she quickly stood up, eyeing the bag hanging at her waist. She opened it, taking out a large mushroom.  
  
"Here," she said, handing it to D. "You can have mushroom supper tonight as well."  
  
"Thank you," the Hunter replied, taking it from her hand.  
  
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you D."  
  
"The pleasure was all mine," he replied.  
  
"I hope we see each other again," she said.  
  
"I hope so too."  
  
A radiant smile covered her face at the dunpheal's comment. Sharaf stood, making his way over to her side. The girl mounted it with a single jump, turning to regard the Hunter one last time from her perch.  
  
"Farewell, D," she said finally, as the tiger sprung from where it stood and sprinted towards the trees.  
  
The dunpheal stayed there staring in the direction she had gone for a long while. He contemplated their meeting carefully. The girl's vibrancy only helped D reaffirm his vows. He knew he had done the right thing by choosing to rid the world of evil; to try and make it a better place for girls like her to live in. All the sacrifices he had made were suddenly worth it as he remembered the warmth of her childish smile.  
  
She had been like a ray of sunlight coming through the dark clouds which usually covered his life. The girl had come to remind him that there were people still living in this world who were worth fighting for. The innocence and happiness shining from her eyes were worth the lives of a thousand vampires.  
  
D refilled his water container quickly, taking another drink before he set off. It was only when he was mounted upon his horse and well on his way that he suddenly realized.  
  
The girl had never mentioned her name.  
  
*******  
  
"The castle's that way, sir," the farmboy said, answering D's questioning of it's whereabouts.  
  
"You just follow the road for a couple of days. You'll see it sitting on top of a large hill. You can't miss it. It's quite a sight to behold," said the boy, smiling.  
  
D thanked him for his time and continued riding.  
  
"Since when does the great Vampire Hunter D stop to ask for directions?" Left Hand put in. His mocking tone was not lost on the dunpheal.  
  
"Arkenia is a very large barony," D explained calmly. "I do not wish to waste time searching in all the many directions in which the castle may be found."  
  
"Haha, will you look at that?" The symbiont continued, ignoring the dunpheal entirely. "The Vampire Hunter has lost his prey's castle!" Left Hand's mocking laughter rang too loudly in D's ears.  
  
But the Hunter let it continue, efficiently closing his hearing to the torrent of insults coming from the parasite. D had more important matters to worry about; his arrival at the Castle of Arkenia was imminent. He would be there very soon and the answers he was searching for would follow swiftly.  
  
D admitted his anxiety, but was also looking forward to meeting the Stormblade Baron. The dunpheal also wished to speak to Count Farkas again. The vampire had made a very favourable first impression on their previous meeting.  
  
As he pondered all that was forthcoming, the dunpheal continued down the road. Heading in a direction that might change his life forever.  
  
*******  
  
The purple mist made it's way into the dark chamber, coming to rest in front of a large wooden desk.  
  
"Master," the wraith cried pitifully. "I was attacked."  
  
The cold red eyes of Iosif Meszaros looked down in disgust upon the wretched form of his servant.  
  
Barely containing his anger, he asked, "By who?"  
  
The wraith hesitated before speaking. "Vitéz Lengyel."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"He knew of my coming, sire. I did not sense his presence until it was too late. He ambushed me on the road, cutting me with that cursed blade of his. It stung me greatly."  
  
"Quiet!!"  
  
The purple haze cowered under it's master's wrath.  
  
"The sting from his sword will be nothing compared to what you will get from me if you do not achieve the tasks appointed to you."  
  
"I'm sorry Master," it whimpered.  
  
"Bah!" Iosif exclaimed. "Get out of my sight!"  
  
The wraith scurried itself under the door as fast as it could.  
  
The vampire sat back in his chair, frustration evident in his chiseled features. Passing large hands through his long white hair, he tried to gather his thoughts.  
  
"What will you do now, sir?" a hissing voice asked from the shadows.  
  
The Count turned to thoughtfully regard his most trusted barbarois servant.  
  
"I am not certain, Kígyó," he said, as the willowy humanoid made it's way over to the desk.  
  
"I do know one thing, though," he continued after a moment of silent contemplation. "Vitéz Lengyel will pay dearly."  
  
"How do you intend to achieve this, Master?" the snake-like barbarois inquired.  
  
"Attacking his weakness."  
  
"Arkenia castle has no defensive weaknesses, my lord. And its ruling Baron is a formidable swordsman. You personally know how well he wields his magical blade."  
  
"I am aware of that, Kígyó. But I also know his weaknesses do not lie in his sword skills," the Count said smiling, a macabre plan already forming inside his mind.  
  
The barbarois looked at him, a questioning look in his eyes. Iosif answered him with a look of his own, understanding passing between them.  
  
"You are one of the few who know of whom I speak," Meszaros said quietly.  
  
Kígyó nodded.  
  
"Lengyel is a love-sick fool. Bring her to me, my servant."  
  
"But sir, acting in such close proximity to the castle."  
  
"Is the last thing the Stormblade Baron will suspect," Iosif interrupted firmly. "Now go. There is little precious time to waste."  
  
"Yes, Master," answered the snake-man, swiftly turning to go.  
  
******* *******  
  
Tanítvány means pupil or student in Hungarian.  
  
The plot's getting intriguing! (At least I hope so!) What´s gonna happen next? I´ll try and update ASAP. Promise.  
  
You know you want to press the button on the lower left hand corner of your monitor. You know you want to...don't deny it! You truly want to make the author of this story happy by leaving her a review. You want her to relieve the stress she accumulates at uni. with a review. C'mon!  
  
Thanks for reading! ^_^ 


	8. Chap7: Fatherhood Pains

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertaining purposes only. But the vampire cast is, of course, entirely the product of my imagination, so, don't steal them! Though I perfectly understand why some of you would like to kidnap Vitéz...hmmm...Hehe. ^_~  
  
******** ********  
  
Author's note: Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay! (ducks thrown tomatoes, rotten fruit, knives, etc.) The problem is uni.'s starting to take up more of my time, so I have to juggle 7 courses (and the respective 3 hours of field work per week for 3 of them) along with my fanfic! But don't worry, I'll manage. Writing is actually therapy for me, so I kind of need it to fight the madness of senior year.  
  
Thanks for the reviews! I must confess I do a little victory dance every time I get a new one. *lol* ^_^ They keep me motivated.  
  
Mystic asked me if I could make some pronunciation notes, so I'm going give it a try. I don't speak Hungarian at all, so I apologize for any mistakes. If someone reading this knows how to speak the language, help would be REALLY appreciated! ^_^ This is how I pronounce the names in my head.  
  
Vitéz: vee-TEZ  
  
Beriszl: BER-isl  
  
Iosif: ee-O-sif  
  
Meszaros: MESS-a-ros  
  
Eszti: ES-tee  
  
I used some other names in this chapter, but they aren't important. I just needed something interesting to call the vampires in the scene. If they're a bit complicated, don't worry. I really hope I'm not confusing anyone by using all these strange names. ^.^' Just tell me if I am.  
  
This next installment came out a bit longer than the previous chapters. It sort of goes a bit deeper into D's past (Kitala!) and of his experiences as the Vampire Prince (Genjoe!). I hope you enjoy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Those who in youth and childhood wander alone in the woods and wild places, ever after carry in their hearts a secret well of quietness and...they will always long for rest and to get away from the noise and rumour of the world."  
  
W.B Yeats, Letters.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Fatherhood pains  
  
*******  
  
In the instant he found himself at the castle gates, D knew he was dreaming.  
  
He was also well aware of the path his dream would take, and knew there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.  
  
Nothing but to relive the painful memories once more.  
  
D looked down at himself and recognized his body. His seven year old body. Long slender arms the colour of rich milk, graceful hands with long fingernails, which would grow back rapidly to the same length no matter how often he cut them. His clothing was made of fine fabrics, as was only suitable. A fact the young dunpheal would often ignore, as he would leave the castle grounds to find other places to play in solitude.  
  
He was returning from one of these escapades at the moment. Having spent the whole day in the surrounding forest and in the fields, he was coming home. A sense of dread overwhelmed him as he stood beneath the immense gates. D had forgotten about the time and didn't realize he should be heading back until it was too late.  
  
The sun had already sunk into the horizon, and only a few of its secure rays shone in the sky.  
  
The Vampire King would be awake.  
  
D's body shook at the thought. His mother always told him he should not fear his father; he should try and talk to him, share some time with him.  
  
Unfortunately, there was no other thought which caused more fear in D's young heart. The idea of being alone with his father froze him to the spot, and his breathing became heavy. The dunpheal contemplated going back into the forest, turning his face to gaze back down the road he had just come from. The idea of sleeping outside, away from the dark confines of the castle was very alluring. But he knew quiet well that his father, on his mother's insistence, would send someone to look for him. And then, D would have to face the Vampire King's wrath for making his mother worry.  
  
The dunpheal took a step forward, mustering all the courage a seven year old could possibly endure under such odds.  
  
D passed the gates and was greeted by the amazing sight of the Vampire King's castle. Sometimes he would stop in his tracks and stare at the immense structure. The black towers rose into the sky, as if to touch the face of the stars, its gothic architecture commanding fear and respect. Everything about the castle resembled his father; its size, its dominance, its power. Few would look upon the building and not feel awe in their souls.  
  
D lowered his gaze, the trembling of his limbs returning in full force. 'I must not show fear', he told himself. 'I must be brave.'  
  
He came to the entrance. The two barbarois guards at the huge double doors saluted him, as was only proper. He didn't glance at them. D'd tried to be friendly with them more than once, but it was not proper for a servant to speak to the King's son in a familiar way. The guards had just ignored him, and after a few attempts at striking a conversation, D had given up completely.  
  
D entered the castle, the doors closing behind him, leaving him in a large chamber bathed in gentle candlelight. He planned on making his way quietly to his room and not call any unwanted attention to himself. It was preferable to go to bed without eating dinner than to have an unpleasant meeting with his father.  
  
Loud voices and music came from a chamber on the first landing. D only noticed them until he was climbing the large staircase, enhancing his unease. His mind, occupied with other matters, had forgotten his parents were entertaining guests this evening. All the more reason to avoid being seen.  
  
D silently passed in front of the door, his goal was to reach the stairs at the end of the hall. If he managed to get to the third floor without being noticed, he was basically free. Trying to control his trembling and his dread, D walked by slowly.  
  
But luck was not with him this day, and the young dunpheal cursed the overly enhanced senses of vampires not for the first time.  
  
The door opened suddenly, and his mother stepped out.  
  
She was dressed in the most fabulous gown. Green silk adorned with emeralds at her neck. Her beauty was devastating; D could not blame his father for falling in love with her. She was a wonder to behold, for a human.  
  
D looked down at his feet, letting her sweet perfume invade his senses. In her presence, he could almost find peace.  
  
"Good evening, my darling," she said in her lovely voice. "Where have you been?"  
  
"You know were I was, mother," he told her. "You know were I always go."  
  
A look of pain washed over her face at D's sad tone. She tried to hide it by changing the subject.  
  
"Have you eaten?" she asked.  
  
D shook his head.  
  
"How many times have I told you not to go to bed without anything to eat? A young boy like you needs his nourishment," she said, smiling at her son.  
  
Her smile brought comforting warmth to his heart. It was nice to know he had some one to take care of him in this bleak place. She was the only source of love in his lonesome existence.  
  
D felt more than heard someone step behind the door. A chill of dread went up his spine, knowing exactly who it was. Suddenly, he realized it was his father who gave him away to his mother, letting her know D was passing in front of the door at that precise moment.  
  
Before he had time to compose himself, his mother asked him the question he'd been dreading.  
  
"Darling, the guests wish to see you. Won't you come in?"  
  
A look of devastating fear crossed D's eyes, and as he looked at her, the pleading in his gaze tore at her heart.  
  
D swore he saw the beginnings of tears in her lovely eyes.  
  
Before they could say another word, the door opened more widely and a large form stepped in front of his mother.  
  
The trembling was suddenly painful.  
  
D didn't dare look up, recognizing his father by the shoes he wore.  
  
"The guests are waiting," the Vampire King said simply in his icy voice, then turned and entered the room.  
  
There was no room to argue.  
  
D braced himself, breathing deeply, as he stepped in front of his mother to walk through the door.  
  
The room was filled with light. He felt the presence of other vampires, but didn't dare look at them. D walked in slowly so as not to show his uneasiness; it would not do to embarrass his father in such a situation.  
  
"Well, he has grown much since I last saw him, Ezsti," a female voice addressed his mother. D recognized the Countess Alojsia Pusztai when he heard her. "Come here, young prince, so I can see you better."  
  
D walked towards the couch where the Countess was sitting. When he reached his destination, after what seemed like an eternity, he managed to look up.  
  
Alojsia smiled at him. If he hadn't been so nervous, he might've recognized her intentions for what they truly were: she was being genuinely friendly. But at the moment, his heart was almost exploding in fear.  
  
"Why, you are a handsome one, my Prince. You have your mother's hair," she said, smiling up at Ezsti, who smiled proudly. The Countess lifted a slender hand, caressing D's cheek with her long fingers.  
  
"But you have your father's graceful face," she continued, staring deeply into D's eyes. "I wonder...do you have his strength?"  
  
D didn't look away from her, somehow knowing she was trying to tell him something. But the moment was suddenly broken.  
  
"He doesn't say much, does he, Dracul?" a vampire, who D recognized as Istran Burcsa, asked.  
  
"He barely speaks," D's father answered, as if disgusted.  
  
"The Prince is only shy," Ezsti said, coming to her son's defense, placing a hand on D's shoulder.  
  
Istran nodded, giving D a thorough inspection with his penetrating gaze.  
  
"A bit slender for a boy his age," he commented. Istran reached for D's arm, feeling the dunpheal's young muscles with his hand.  
  
"Tell me boy," he continued. "Will this arm wield a sword just as skillfully as your father does?"  
  
The vampire, thankfully, did not give D time to answer. He continued speaking to his father almost as if forgetting the young dunpheal's presence.  
  
"How goes the weapon's training?"  
  
"He's learning easily enough," the Vampire King answered. "Not as rapidly as I'd like, though. But those are the pains I must endure as a father."  
  
There was general laughter around the room.  
  
"I don't think even the most prominent student would ever please Dracul as a teacher," Baron Gelei commented. "Especially in matters of the sword."  
  
There were murmurs of agreement.  
  
"He is of my own blood," his father kept saying. "I expect no less from him than from myself."  
  
D knew this comment was meant specially for him. As Prince, he was forced to train in weapons almost every day; but he wasn't sure if he would one day manage to wield a blade skillfully. His father certainly thought he would never do so.  
  
D looked down at his feet. After a moment, his mother's warm hand grasped his shoulder more tightly.  
  
"You must be hungry and tired, my dear," she intervened. "Why don't you go downstairs and have something to eat."  
  
To her guests, she said, "You must excuse him. He hasn't eaten dinner yet."  
  
"Oh you poor dear," Countess Alojsia said. "You must be starving. Go on and eat something quickly."  
  
D bowed slightly, then turned to leave. He could feel the weight of many gazes on his back as he walked, his father's being the heaviest. Stepping quietly outside the room, he closed the doors behind him.  
  
D let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. The ordeal hadn't been so bad. On previous occasions it had been worse. He had made it unscathed.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't the Vampire Prince," a mocking voice came from the stairs.  
  
D looked up, coming face to face with Endre Fazekas, Count Fazekas' young son. The vampire was only a few years older than D, but was already twice his size.  
  
The dunpheal stood his ground, even though he already knew this encounter could only end badly.  
  
Endre chuckled. "You haven't grown an inch," he said, stepping closer. "So I must also assume you have not improved in your swords skills, either. One must have strength to do so, you know. Something you seem to lack altogether."  
  
D kept silent.  
  
"You will always be weak, just like your mother. Your human blood is your weakness, half-breed." The vampire did little to hide his disgust.  
  
D's hands were fisted at his sides, trembling slightly.  
  
"That is the reason," Endre said, his voice soaked with venom, "you will never live up to the Vampire King's expectations."  
  
The young vampire walked past D, opening the door.  
  
"You are truly pitiful," Endre said finally. "It is quiet understandable why your father can only be ashamed of you." With that, he closed the door.  
  
D could hear the vampires in the room welcome Endre, asking him where he had been. A welcome the young Prince would never get.  
  
D's arms trembled, but this time, not with fear. Anger filled his being. Anger so intense he was sure his father felt it across the wall.  
  
Hot tears trickled down his face as his vision blurred.  
  
"One day," he thought. "One day you will all fear me."  
  
The young dunpheal walked towards the stairs at the end of the hall, intent on reaching his room, his hunger and dinner forgotten.  
  
D stood there upon the landing, watching his young self walk away. He could feel the pain of the experience as if it had happened yesterday. He clutched at his chest, trying to diminish the suffering.  
  
But the desperation did not stop, even as the dream slowly faded away.  
  
*******  
  
The eyes of ten year old Aury peered through the half opened double doors, finding only the thinking form of Vitéz Lengyel inside the sitting room. The vampire's hair fell lose upon his shoulders, framing his elegant face. Grey eyes looked intently into the flames before him, transfixed with their intricate dance.  
  
The girl studied his features for a moment before sighing audibly. Sometimes, she realized just how amazing he must seem to a stranger and how easy it would be for him to use his appearance to overpower others. Aury knew he consciously chose not to do so; his real personality was far from the cold powerful exterior he portrayed.  
  
Even so, it did little good to make him angry; he was very scary when he was angry. Specially when he rose on his feet to tower over her. He'd look down at her with that reprimanding gaze only his grey eyes could attain. She always felt so small and insignificant when he did so.  
  
Now, in one of his thinking moods, he was worrying about something. The Council, most likely. Aury could see the almost imperceptible lines around his eyes; lines that should never appear on his beautiful face if given enough rest.  
  
Lately, he'd been coming out of his coffin during the day. Saying he couldn't sleep, he'd sit in the shadows of his room. She knew this was far from good for him; it only weakened him. But he never showed his weakness; not to her, not to anyone.  
  
Vitéz was evidently tired. She should leave him to his thoughts and not disturb his much needed peace. About to turn around and walk away, a cold, firm hand grasped her shoulder, reminding her immediately of why she was here in the first place.  
  
Aury looked up into the vampiric face of Beriszl Mátrai, the Guard Captain of Stormhold. The look on his face told her in no small measure that if she didn't get this ordeal over with now, the consequences would be dire. His black eyes reminded her of the horrific thought of cleaning the lower catacombs for a whole week. A girl could find far worse things than dust and spider webs in the lowest levels of the castle.  
  
Aury swallowed hard, and proceeded to enter the room.  
  
She walked towards the sitting form of Vitéz, but as she got nearer to the fireplace, she had second thoughts. Turning to look behind her, Aury only found Beriszl blocking the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
There was no escape.  
  
Any human child would have passed out of fear from the mere prospect of being trapped between the wrath of two vampires...two very powerful vampires, at that. But Aury reminded herself that she was no ordinary human child. The situation had to be faced. It would be alright. She'd done worse things than this, hadn't she?  
  
One look at Vitéz and she wasn't so sure.  
  
She finally had the courage to step up to the armchair.  
  
"Hi, apu", she practically squeaked.  
  
Vitéz, having felt her presence at the door for a while now, didn't start at the unexpected sound. Instead, he turned to face her, giving her a loving smile. The sight of her always made him smile.  
  
"Hello there, my tündér," he said in his elegant voice. "How was your day?"  
  
Aury raised her hand to place a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear. A habit wrought out of nervousness.  
  
"Oh, it was alright", she managed to answer. "How did you sleep today?"  
  
"Better than the last few days", he said, a look of frustration passing through his face. "Even so, I still woke up feeling tired."  
  
"Oh," she muttered. "I hope you manage to sleep better in the morning. And maybe you shouldn't wait for the dawn. Maybe you should try to rest while its still nighttime, that might help. Though I'm not sure how..." she finished thoughtfully.  
  
He smiled at her, lifting his right hand to caress her hair.  
  
"You always worry too much about me, don't you, tündér?"  
  
"Well, you take care of me all the time, so I have to take care of you in return, don't I?" she answered, gracing him with one of her most winning smiles. No adult would have been able to resist her charms when she played at being the Baron's little girl.  
  
Vitéz only chuckled.  
  
Beriszl cleared his throat loudly, reminding Aury yet again that she could not avoid the reason why she had come here. She gulped suddenly, and found she could not look Vitéz in the eye.  
  
The latter turned towards the door at Beriszl's sudden sound.  
  
"This alley cat has come to tell you something", he answered Vitéz's questioning gaze.  
  
The Vampire Baron turned to face her.  
  
Aury thought she heard the sound of thunder in the distance.  
  
"What do you wish to tell me?", he asked. From the tone of his voice it was apparent he already knew she couldn't possibly bring good news.  
  
Suddenly, Aury's eyes found her shoes to be the most interesting artifact in the vicinity.  
  
An agonizing lapse of silence followed. After what seemed like an eternity, she managed to find her voice.  
  
"I.I.", she stammered. "I.I took Onyx out for a ride."  
  
Vitéz's lack of reply voiced his great displeasure.  
  
Onyx was the Baron's huge black cyborg stallion. Aury loved to ride animals, specially her large northern tiger, Sharaf. She was never far from the large cat. But she also had a soft spot for horses. And Onyx was an amazing horse. But there was a problem; the cyborg was far too large for Aury's small form and he only answered to a single person: Vitéz Lengyel. Therefore, it was common knowledge around the castle that it was forbidden for Aury to come within 10 metres of the stallion.  
  
"I managed to ride him for quite a while," she continued, having resigned to the fact that it was useless to try and get out of the mess she was in. "It was an amazing ride and we got as far as farmer Hannich's fields." She smiled up at him, proud of being able to handle the stubborn cyborg for so long. But the look from the vampire's eyes instantly erased her grin.  
  
The Baron's eyes were as cold as the cutting ice that fell during winter. His face was completely impassive, and his lips formed a thin line across his face. Vitéz did not have to speak to let her know how displeased he was.  
  
She looked at the floor again. 'And he still hasn't heard the worst of it', she thought desperately. Aury swallowed hard.  
  
"It was going great until we got to the edge of the farm", she went on saying. "But then, Onyx decided to jump the field's fence. I lost control of him, and he kept galloping over the crops. We were heading straight for farmer Hannich's tractor, which he happened to be driving at the moment. Onyx tried to jump over it; he managed to do so, but he kicked the fuel hose of the tractor and the fuel started to leak out. Farmer Hannich had thrown himself off the tractor when he saw us coming, but when he fell, his cigarette fell out of his mouth too.and."  
  
Aury gulped visibly.  
  
"And the field caught fire," she managed to finish in a rush.  
  
********  
  
In the castle kitchens, Virya the cook was happily preparing the evening's meal. She was well aware she did not need to prepare anything for her master, but she must make sure all the barbarois servants of the castle were well fed. Being a barbarois herself, she knew how hungry one could become, specially after guarding the castle all day.  
  
And there was Aury also, the orphaned human child that lived in this place of shadows. She had to eat as well.  
  
Virya stirred the so-called stew boiling in the large cauldron over the stove. No human being would have been able to bring themselves to eat the stew she was cooking, for it had many ingredients that weren't edible for humans. But they suited the barbarois quite well. She took pride in her cooking abilities, and knew her stews were in high demand around the castle.  
  
She was going about her chores in her usual manner, cooking and cleaning, when all of a sudden, the walls of the castle shook. The fact could mean only one thing: the Baron of the castle was about to lose his temper.  
  
Virya managed to secure most of her cooking pots before, as if on cue, the shouting and shaking erupted.  
  
"IT WHAT?!?!??" The shout echoed throughout the entire castle, its walls shaking due to the power behind Vitéz Lengyel's wrath.  
  
"WHAT MADNESS DROVE YOU TO DO SUCH A STUPID THING?!?!?"  
  
Virya squinted her eyes. 'So, she finally told him', she thought. She sighed, pitying the poor little girl immensely, as she held on to her pots and plates. There was nothing to do now except to weather the storm.  
  
*********  
  
Aury still looked at the floor, taking the verbal onslaught as best as she could. He was standing now, looking down at her as he shouted, and she felt like the tiniest creature on the face of the planet.  
  
She didn't attempt to speak up for herself. She knew it was useless. He wouldn't listen anyway; he never listened when he was like this.  
  
And the truth was there was very little a 10 year old girl could do against an enraged Vampire Baron.  
  
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT HORSE!?!"  
  
"YOU COULD´VE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN THE FARMER KILLED!!!"  
  
"Haven't I taught you better than this?!?"  
  
"Has anything I've ever said held any meaning inside your head!?!?"  
  
"CURSE THE DAY I TOOK IN A HUMAN CHILD TO RAISE!!!!!"  
  
It went on, and on. Aury knew he was angry, and he didn't mean the things he was saying. But inside her child heart it hurt...every word he said hurt. Then, when she thought things couldn't get any worse, Vitéz went ahead and said it, in that cold calm voice of his.  
  
He locked his judging gray eyes onto hers and said: "I am so very disappointed in you."  
  
The Baron managed to quiet down and walked over to the window. He leaned against the glass and gazed out into the night as if to steady himself.  
  
Aury's tears ran freely down her cheeks, but she didn't dare make a sound.  
  
Silence fell over the room again, interrupted only by the crackling of the fire.  
  
After a moment the vampire calmed down enough so his voice didn't shake with anger. Without turning, in the coldest tone she had ever heard uttered from his mouth, he gave out her punishment.  
  
"You will go down to the farm tomorrow, with a cart full of goods to compensate for Hannich's loss. You will work at the farm for every day to come until the crop has been replanted. You will leave at dawn and come back at sunset. You will continue your studies at night. No playing, no outdoor lessons, no weapons training, no nothing. Especially, no riding. You are to stay away from your tiger while you work."  
  
He paused to look at the sky again.  
  
"And if you ever go near that horse again," he said after a moment, his voice so icy a shiver of dread went up Aury's spine. "I will banish you from my castle forever. Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Now go," he commanded, still facing the window.  
  
Aury, shoulders slumped under the weight of the world, eyes full of tears, managed to go through the door before breaking into a run.  
  
*******  
  
Beriszl watched her rapidly retreating form with a look of pity and guilt. He knew it was tough to live among vampires, especially for a little girl. He knew Vitéz would be completely unforgiving in his punishment. But Aury had to learn. The girl had to take responsibility for her actions.  
  
Still, the Captain felt a strange pain in his chest when he saw her face soaked with tears. The girl had managed to win her way into the hearts of all the castle's inhabitants. Aury was the very life of the place; the light of the sun the nightly creatures were prohibited to see. She came into their lives, radiating joy and happiness, giving her love freely, despite their less than goodly origins. Any single one of them would be deeply moved by her tears, going to any means to make her smile again. Vitéz Lengyel being the first one to do so.  
  
Beriszl turned to look at his Baron, still gazing at the night sky. He knew Vitéz was fighting a battle within himself; a part of his heart told him to let her take her punishment, for with it she would learn. But another part counseled he should hold her while she cried, telling her it would be alright. Beriszl was fighting the same battle himself. The Captain knew the Baron worried about Aury's well-being above anything else. That was why it was so important for her to learn her lesson. Even if her tears broke all their hearts.  
  
Beriszl watched as she rounded the corner, out of sight. Sighing, he closed the door as he stepped out of the room, leaving Vitéz to his solitude. He wondered what the other vampire lords would think if they were to find out that the great castle of Stormhold, the heart of Arkenia, was being overrun by a little human girl. He chuckled at the thought despite himself and walked away in the opposite direction.  
  
********  
  
D squirmed as he slept, giving Left Hand all the evidence of the nightmare he was having.  
  
The symbiont wished he could give his friend some sort of respite from the horrors he was dreaming of. But knew it was useless to try and wake him. When D dreamed like this, he could do nothing but wait until the nightly terrors were over.  
  
Left Hand sighed. He lifted himself up, wiping the sweat from the dunpheal's brow. It was the least he could do.  
  
The symbiont wondered which childhood experience the Hunter was living again. There was little doubt D might be dreaming of something else. These nightmares came every so often, tormenting the poor dunpheal through a whole night. This could only mean D was far from overcoming his childhood traumas.  
  
Placing himself on the dunpheal's chest, Left Hand spoke to him softly.  
  
"You know, sometimes I wish you would just go out and tell me some of these things you keep hidden. I know they're killing you, man! And I'm sure if you'd just talk about them, things would be much better. But no! You have to go and play Mr. Strong, even with your parasite. I could actually resent that, you know. After all these years and you still can't trust me? C'mon, dunpheal!"  
  
D stopped squirming, as if Left Hand's quiet chiding had penetrated the layers of sleep.  
  
"You truly are an, idiot. Can't you tell you have a friend stuck to your hand? I'm with you all the time! You don't even have to call me when you need me. Show a little appreciation, will ya?"  
  
The symbiont knew he would rather have died than say all he was uttering to D when the Hunter was awake. He smiled ruefully.  
  
"If I'd known your psychological disturbances were this bad, I would've never taken up residence in your hand."  
  
He studied the Hunter's face for a moment, an expression of intense sadness crossing his features.  
  
"Don't worry, dunpheal, we'll get through this, like we always do. And I'll be here for you, as I've always been."  
  
D's breathing slowed, his sleep becoming restful once more.  
  
With another sigh, Left Hand allowed his eyes to close, trying to get some rest from what was left of the darkness.  
  
********  
  
It was darkest part of the night. Only vampires would be awake at this time, enjoying their nightly existence in the upper chambers of the castle. Thus, all the lights down in the kitchens were out. He didn't need lights anyway, he knew the way well enough. And he didn't need to follow the sound of the heart breaking sobs either to know where their source could be found.  
  
Inside one of the storing rooms, Kalman Farkas found a large orange tiger laying beside a huge black cauldron. The sobs and squeaks were coming from inside the giant pot.  
  
The vampire stepped over the tiger, Sharaf, who only managed to give him a long pleading look. He gazed at the cat, letting him know he was going to try and help. The feline lay his head down on the floor once more.  
  
Kalman peered into the cauldron to find a small brown haired girl curled up inside. She had been crying all night and hadn't moved from the spot in hours, making quite a heart breaking picture.  
  
"I would come out of that pot, if I were you," said the Count lightly. "Or else you'll get cooked in the morning's soup."  
  
Aury looked up, and managed to smile a bit. "Hi, Zacis Kalman," she said without moving. As she looked down again, the tears started anew.  
  
"Oh come on, tündér, you can't stay in there for the rest of your life," said the vampire, patiently giving the girl some time. After a while of waiting, the Count reached into the cauldron, picked her up and sat down on the floor with the girl on his lap. The tears only flowed more insistently. Kalman cradled Aury back and forth.  
  
"He's SO cruel! He's the meanest of them all!!", she managed to say between sobs.  
  
"Vampires are the cruelest, evilest creatures!! No wonder everyone's scared of them!" Realizing what she had said belatedly, Aury looked up in apology towards Kalman. "No offense, Zacis."  
  
"None taken," he replied, cradling her head.  
  
Sobbing, the girl started her rampage again.  
  
"He didn't even let me explain. He just started shouting at me! He's so ugly and mean!" she cried into the vampire's chest. Kalman caressed the little girl's hair, trying to give her some comfort.  
  
The Count allowed the girl to cry it out. When she managed to calm down a bit, he asked, "Why exactly did you ride Onyx when you knew you weren't supposed to go near him in the first place?"  
  
Aury dried up her tears with her hands and turned her big brown tear swollen eyes up at Kalman. The Count's heart clenched at the helpless sight the girl made.  
  
"I did it because the boys down at the village ride horses too and they go out for rides", she started saying. "I just wanted to be friends with them, but they won't let you be part of their group if you don't have a horse."  
  
She sniffed loudly, then resumed explaining.  
  
"I just wanted some company. It gets lonely up here in the castle, with no one else to play with. And I have to wait until nighttime for everyone to get up so we can play or to weapon train with apu. So I tried to make some friends to be with during the day. They said they would let me join in their rides if I managed to get a horse. But one of them, the meanest of them, said that girls who live in vampire castles were ugly, and that horses wouldn't go anywhere near them. I was so angry with him. I told him to shut his mouth and that he would see just how wrong he was."  
  
Kalman was suddenly angry at the careless boy. How dare he make fun of her? Had he known, he would've taken care of the wretched kid himself.  
  
"That's why I decided that I had to ride Onyx," she kept saying. "If I managed to ride him, I would've shut the mean boy's mouth and he would've eaten his words, and they wouldn't have had no choice but to accept me go riding with them."  
  
"But that mean vampire Baron doesn't understand that!!"  
  
Aury started crying again.  
  
"He doesn't care either!! He doesn't care that I'm lonely and that I have no one to play with!!"  
  
"Of course he cares!", interrupted Kalman. "You know he does! Why else would he be so angry? Tündér, can't you see he cares so much about your safety that he loses his temper? You're apu gets angry so that you won't do what you did again and put yourself in danger. And yes, you were in danger. You could've broken your neck had you fallen off the horse. And you could've gotten burnt by the fire in the field. Can't you see Vitéz was only worried about what might have happened to you?"  
  
Big round tears ran down Aury's cheeks. She knew her Zacis was right, and she hadn't meant for any of it to happen, honestly she hadn't, specially the fire at the field. Aury knew she had done wrong, but did her apu have to be so mean about it?  
  
Kalman understood why the girl was so devastated. Everyone was aware of how much Aury tried to gain Vitéz's approval. She always went out of her way to show the Baron her best, be it during weapon's training or in her academic studies or when she simply kept him company in his sitting room. Aury wanted to make her father proud.  
  
With all this ordeal, the little girl had managed to thoroughly disappoint the Baron. It was one of the heaviest blows Aury had ever taken. Kalman could almost hear her heart breaking.  
  
The Count held the girl until the child fell asleep. With care, the vampire took her up to her room, followed rapidly by Sharaf, who under no circumstance would leave Aury's side, specially when she was upset. Laying her down on the bed, he tucked her in, placing a kiss on her forehead.  
  
Tomorrow would be a long day for the girl, and Kalman Farkas would make sure everyone at the castle helped her in the best way they could.  
  
********  
  
Vitéz Lengyel stepped into his room. Dawn was near, forcing him to look for shelter in his ebony coffin. It had been a long night...too long for his liking. Aury had gotten into trouble again and he had lost his temper. He wasn't himself when he lost his temper. But what was done was done.  
  
After giving out his punishment, the Baron had plunged into his armchair again, not proud of the way he'd handled the situation. Vitéz knew Aury wouldn't speak to him for some days and knew he would eventually have to apologize. It wasn't his fault the girl was so careless. After all the talks he had had with her, after all the warnings, after all his attempts to keep her away from harm, she went and placed herself in the line of fire. Literally.  
  
Vitéz knew she was only a ten year old girl; children her age always got into trouble. He knew they had little consciousness of dangerous situations and their repercussions. Curiosity drove their actions, not reason. He understood all that.  
  
The Baron also understood the fear that pierced his heart every time he thought her life had been in danger. The ice cold feeling which swept through his body when he realized something might have happened to her. The heart numbing thought of losing her.  
  
Oh yes, Vitéz cared for her. More than he would ever admit to anyone. This small waif of a girl had crawled her way into his life, giving him more joy and happiness than he had ever felt in the millennia of his existence. Aury's smile made his frozen vampire heart radiate with warmth. She was the reason he kept hope; the reason he fought through his nightly existence.  
  
Laying down in his coffin, he wondered at the trick fate had played on him. Who would ever have thought a vampire Baron would one day take in a human girl to raise as his own? It was insane. It was illogical. It was happening to him.  
  
Even though Vitéz analyzed it logically and thought through it rationally, he wouldn't have it any other way. He had a reason to keep on living, a reason to make this ever darkening world a better place for his daughter to grow up in. He would take care of her, risking his life in the process if it was necessary. The Baron would do so for her sake, so that one day she could make all her dreams come true. For he couldn't even stand the thought of losing her, of not seeing her smile ever again.  
  
As the vampire closed his coffin's lid, he knew. Vitéz Lengyel would indeed throw himself willingly into the sun's light rather than to exist in this world without his little girl.  
  
******* *******  
  
Hungarian translations:  
  
Apu: dad, daddy Zacis: Uncle Tündér: pixie, fairy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Celtic Oak: Eeeek! Vitéz is a father! ^o^ Hope you weren't expecting that! *Evil laughter* Don't worry, that doesn't mean he won't be the imposing Vampire Baron he's always been...hehe.  
  
Vitéz: (appears suddenly, black cape flowing in the wind) What have you done!? I´m a father now?!?  
  
Celtic Oak: (cowers before the vampire) Sorry, Vitz. It was necesarry...you know, for plot development. Anyway, you knew you were a father all along, so stop complaining.  
  
Vitéz: How am I supposed to maintain my image? People won't cower before me when they find out I have to help my 10 year old with her homework!  
  
Celtic Oak: Of course they will! I mean, you are THE Baron of Arkenia, and a vampire too. Relax.  
  
Vitéz: (buries his face in his hands) This is awful!  
  
D: (appears, riding his horse, long cloak trailing after) What seems to be the problem?  
  
Celtic Oak: Hi D. Erm, nothing. Vitéz is just having some trouble accepting his role.  
  
Vitéz: How am I supposed to pick up women, now? I have a kid!  
  
Celtic Oak: Oh, come on! An affectionate single father can be very attractive. And what women!?! (glares at him angrily) You're not picking anyone up!  
  
Vitéz: (ignores Celtic Oak) What do you think, D? Do you think I´m still attractive?  
  
Celtic Oak: (sweatdrops ^.^')  
  
D: (looks at him seriously; a long moment of silence follows) How am I supposed to know? I haven't even met you. Besides, I have my childhood traumas to deal with.  
  
Celtic Oak: (tears coming to her eyes) Oh D! I'm so sorry! (throws herself at the dunpheal wrapping him in a hug).  
  
D: (rolls his eyes) No wonder they didn't say anything about my past in the movies. Imagine all the emotional fanfiction writers I'd have to deal with!  
  
Vitéz: (Nods his head in silent agreement)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I'm speaking to my characters now? There is definetely something wrong with me. *lol* ^_^ I told you my imagination gets the best of me!  
  
Read and review, everybody. Thanks for reading! 


	9. Chap8: Evil deeds, just penance

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertaining purposes only. No offense is meant by it.  
  
******* *******  
  
Hi, I'm finally back! ^_^ I apologize for the delay again, but university can be a quite a pain sometimes. I've got this next week off due to Easter, so I plan on getting a few chapters done; I'll update as soon as I can.  
  
Thanks for the reviews of the previous chapter! They keep me motivated.  
  
Sorry if I extended the Aury part in the last chapter, but I sort of wanted to emphasize how important she is to Vitéz, and I wanted to pinpoint the contrast between her childhood and D's. And how, despite being raised by vampires, they both differ tremendously.  
  
The impending meeting finally takes place in this next part...hehe. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Hope you like it!  
  
Let's get the action started! ^_~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"And that is what Evil does: forces us all down dark pathways we otherwise would not have trod (...) Make no mistake, evil must be crushed, not only to eliminate the suffering Evil causes, but also to atone for the good lost. But if for no other reason, Evil must be destroyed so that we can once more guide our own destinies."  
  
Dennis McKiernan, Shadows of Doom, The Iron Tower trilogy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Evil deeds, just penance  
  
*******  
  
Kígyó had been watching her since early morning. The girl had arrived at the farm just before dawn. Taking the necessary tools for the day's work, she had left the shed and farmyard, heading for the fields.  
  
The snake-like barbarois stood hidden within the forest surrounding the farms near the castle, a hooded cloak covering his features as he surveyed all the movements in the nearby farm holds. It was easier to find the girl than he'd thought. At first, Kígyó had decided to watch the castle, to become familiar with its activities. He knew the object of his mission would constantly leave the castle on childlike expeditions to the forest, but he was also aware that the Stormblade Baron would send a barbarois servant after her, to follow the girl from a distance on the occasions when she decided to stray far from the castle's grounds. It was on such an occasion in which the snake-man planned on taking the child, for if he acted in close proximity to Stormhold, he would be detected immediately. Kígyó had been pondering on how to destroy the girl's barbarois babysitter while avoiding detection, when the perfect opportunity presented itself.  
  
The day before, the Baron's adoptive daughter had come out the castle gates at dawn, driving a small carriage. She stopped at a nearby farm hold, staying there for the rest of the day, working the fields. To Kígyó's delight, her northern tiger had not come with her and was nowhere near the vicinity. The same occurred the following day.  
  
Now, she worked the fields near the forest, and the barbarois was sure she would tire of her duties. Midday was approaching, and she must take her lunch sometime soon. Time would place the pieces of his game in perfect formation. He was on a hunt and like all snakes, his patience when catching prey was relentless.  
  
*******  
  
Aury planted the last of the seeds from her bag, covering it generously with earth. She'd done well this morning, finding herself near the edge of the field. Smiling softly, the girl went back to where the tools stood. Her eyes fell upon the many other bags full of seeds and her face fell. It was going to be a long day.  
  
It was only the second time she'd come to the farm. Aury didn't mind the work at all, always enjoying the feel of the earth between her fingers and getting dirty while planting the seeds. It was tiring, she had to admit, but it wasn't the work that bothered her. It was the source of the work which put her on edge.  
  
The girl still hadn't made up with her father. They hadn't spoken since the incident in the study; it couldn't well be labelled a discussion since all the screaming had come from his part. She didn't plan on crawling back to him, begging for forgiveness. She would assume her punishment, but for her own reasons, not his.  
  
Aury felt terrible about farmer Hannich's loss, and she was trying to make it up to him by helping as much as she could. At the same time, she was defying her father's orders by making sure the farmer knew her work came from her volition. She wouldn't take the extra job as punishment, which canceled out Vitéz's pretensions of "teaching her a lesson". She'd learnt enough by following her own conscience.  
  
'That'll show him to be so mean in the future,' she thought to herself.  
  
The girl looked up at the sun, deciding to stop for her midday meal. Grabbing her lunch bag, Aury decided to eat under the shade of the nearby trees. Being inside the forest always made her feel better, so to calm her still vivid resentment towards her father, she made her way to the edge of the field once more.  
  
Jumping the fence surrounding Hannich's farm, she soon entered the forest and came upon a small glade. Sitting on the grass, Aury took out her food, eating it fervently, not having realized how hungry she was.  
  
The sun shone down through the trees and the blue sky peered across the dancing leaves. The small girl sighed, finishing her meal. Laying down upon the grass, she looked up at the passing clouds, feeling instantly content. Humming a quiet tune, she closed her eyes, thinking it would be alright if she took a quick nap before going back to work.  
  
Aury heard a shuffling sound somewhere nearby, but when she turned to look, nothing was there. It was probably some sort of forest animal. Not making much of it, she lay back down.  
  
Suddenly, she felt a stinging pain on her calf. Crying out, the small girl quickly sat up, hands instinctively clutching her leg. As she looked down, Aury noticed a small snake laying beside her, bearing its teeth.  
  
'And where did you come from?' she managed to think, before the world went black around her.  
  
*******  
  
Vitéz writhed inside his coffin, intense pain overcoming his body. Trying to fight the layers of sleep, he was intent on disciphering where this strange stinging was coming from. He could not feel his leg.  
  
Struggling further, the vampire tried to awaken, but his instincts told him the sun outside was at its worst. Despite the information, he tried to fight what his body was telling him. He had to get out, somehow.  
  
Something was amiss...terribly amiss. Some strange events were going on, and he must try to prevent them. But what?  
  
Not finding any immediate answer to the question, he groaned in frustration, trying to keep the claws of slumber from reaching him. But fight as he might, his body took over eventually, silencing his mind behind the dark veil of sleep.  
  
*******  
  
There was something definitely wrong. He could smell it in the air like the stench of a rotting corpse. It emanated from all around, coming from the trees surrounding the path he was on. It came from the very shadows the afternoon sun cast upon the ground.  
  
Warrior instincts surfacing in full, enhancing his senses instantly, D urged his horse on.  
  
Evil's presence could be felt clearly, invading his perception like the spreading of an infection. Eyes narrowing as he took in his surroundings, D knew the source of the horrible malice could not be far, or at least, had passed nearby not long ago.  
  
The dunpheal was on the last trek of his journey; his destination lay just beyond the limits of the forest he found himself in. Somewhat annoyed, he knew he would be delayed even further. His principles would not permit him to continue without irradicating the creature who emanated such perversion.  
  
At first, he'd thought the dark atmosphere within the trees had been a trap, but now he was sure it had nothing to do with the Stormblade Baron or his Council. It did not smell like anything resembling a vampire. This stench could only come from something fouler.  
  
Coming to a crossroads within the forest, D dismounted, noticing some strange tracks on one side of the road.  
  
"Let me see those," Left Hand said, as D knelt down for the symbiont to take a closer look.  
  
"Hmmm," he mused. "I think we've come across the miscreant, dunpheal. These tracks have an evil aura about them. But they do not look like the tracks of a monster. They must belong to some kind of humanoid...a barbarois most likely. And a powerful one, too. All the more reason to be careful."  
  
D nodded, scanning the trees that lay in the direction the tracks disappeared in. Taking the reigns of his horse, he lead it off the road, silently instructing the cyborg to stay put. Enhancing his perception, he swiftly headed in the tracks' direction, no sound betraying his feet.  
  
Left Hand sighed. 'Here we go again,' he thought, as they both made their way through the tall trees, getting nearer to the source of evil with every step.  
  
******  
  
Kígyó threw the girl down from his shoulder. She landed with a loud thud upon the ground, but did not stir. His pet's poison had served well.  
  
Looking around, the barbarois found he was almost at Arkenia's northern borders, marked by high mountains. One could look for a missing person for days within their wilderness; something the sly snake-man was counting on. Daylight would not remain in the sky for much longer, making his crossing through the barony's limits urgent. A vampire's powers were limited to his lands, and so, Kígyó knew he would be free of discovery as soon as he penetrated the mountain range.  
  
He sat down, rewarding himself some rest due to his efficiency in accomplishing the Master's orders. Count Meszaros would be proud of his servant, and might even reward Kígyó handsomely. Smiling at the thought, the barbarois turned to regard his capture once more.  
  
The girl was ugly, at least from his point of view. He'd never had much appreciation of the supposedly aesthetic features of humans. She was small, making her defenseless and vulnerable. Characteristics he couldn't tolerate in any creature. He truly did not know what the powerful Baron of Stormhold found in this grotesque human child.  
  
The more he thought on it, the absurdity of the situation struck him even more.. The barbarois could almost laugh. How could a vampire make such emotional ties with any living thing? Specially a child. A human, at that. By creating such a relationship, Stormblade had basically written his epitaph. Not only was the girl a likely target for his enemies, she was also a weakness in her own right. The Baron was weighed down by her presence; he looked after her, keeping her safe, and was given nothing in return for his efforts.  
  
In Kígyó's perception, a relationship was not worth anything if both participants did not obtain some benefit out of it. A barbarois willingly placed himself under a master due to the gains in protection and power such a position could bring. But to form some sort of tie with a child which could bring you no benefit at all? It was utterly ridiculous. The snake-man suddenly understood his Master's hate for Stormblade. The Baron lacked all the qualities which made a vampire powerful; he was no better than a human.  
  
Getting up to take up his baggage once more, a sudden rush of adrenaline told him he was under observation. Becoming perfectly still, the barbarois flicked his tongue, to smell the air. Recognizing a violent presence in the surroundings, he was able to jump out of his cloak as the gleam of a blade appeared from the bushes in his left, aiming directly at his throat.  
  
*******  
  
After some hours of tracking, D could make out a dark cloaked figure sitting on a rock not so far away. Another form lay beside the first, but he could not discern it well for the trees hid it partially from view.  
  
Making his way slowly down through the forest, no sound betrayed him, as he got closer to the form for a better inspection. He crouched behind some bushes to better judge the situation and to take the proper means of attack.  
  
There was little doubt that this creature was the source of evil he'd been trailing. D found himself on the northern part of Arkenia, wondering why this malicious being would make its way with such haste towards the mountains.  
  
The answer became apparent a second later.  
  
The cloaked form shifted slightly, allowing D to see the identity of the person which lay beside it.  
  
The girl. A small human child who had spoken to him a few days ago. There she was, lying completely unconscious, at the mercy of this perverse creature.  
  
The shock was hard to control, for it evolved to anger as soon as D thought she was in danger. How dare anyone hurt her, a mere child?  
  
The dunpheal knew he would give himself away by letting his wrath boil to the surface. But he did not care. This evil spawn had hell to pay.  
  
Unsheathing his sword and jumping towards the figure in one fluent movement, D was not surprised when his swing did not connect with its objective: the humanoid's throat.  
  
Kígyó jumped into the air, out of his cloak, landing with certain grace a safe distance away from D.  
  
The dunpheal looked intently at his opponent, judging his movements and skill.  
  
The barbarois' appearance was not pleasant. Living snakes took the place of hair on his head, much like the mythological Medusa. His arms and body were covered with scales, giving his skin a gleaming smooth appearance, his forked tongue flicked in and out constantly. But his eyes where the most shocking of all; yellow irises adorned with vertical pupils...the eyes of a viper.  
  
"A snake-man," Left Hand whispered for only D to hear. "Be careful dunpheal, there's enough poison in him to kill a hundred strong men."  
  
D answered by gripping his sword more tightly, moving into an offensive battle stance.  
  
"A dunpheal...how interesting," Kígyó said in his hissing voice. "What business do you have with me? I have done nothing to you."  
  
"I am here to eliminate you. You will not harm this girl," D answered flatly.  
  
The barbarois was amazed for a moment at this child's ability to cause such responses from the people around her. And how was the dunpheal related to this girl? Not having enough time to ponder the dilemma, he quickly dismissed the thoughts, concentrating on the battle at hand.  
  
"That is too bad. I thought we might aid each other. But if that is the case, then, I am afraid you will have to die, half-breed."  
  
With that, the snake-man suddenly drew a long-knife out of nowhere, lunging himself towards D.  
  
The Hunter met his strike fully, pushing the barbarois back after the first impact, swinging back at his opponent. Knife met sword with a loud sound as D kicked out powerfully with his left leg, hitting Kígyó on the side.  
  
Pain coming from his ribs erupted through the barbarois' perception, forcing him to lose his balance. He rolled on the ground, avoiding D's downward slash, coming to his feet once more.  
  
They fought on equal grounds for a few minutes, sparks flying as steel met steel. But tiring rapidly, Kígyó realized he was no match for the dunpheal when it came to sword skills. The sun was near the horizon, urgently reminding him of his mission. This encounter must end soon.  
  
Somersaulting back from D, the snake-man landed a few paces away, shaking his head violently in the process. Snakes fell from his scalp, some landing on the grass as they made their way steadily towards D, while others flew directly towards the Hunter, landing on his chest and arms.  
  
"One bite is all they need, half-breed," Kígyó hissed triumphantly, attacking D once more.  
  
D was only able to get rid of the snakes in his arms before he could meet the barbarois' charge. Blade danced with blade again, but the dunpheal could feel the vipers on his chest make their way steadily to his neck.  
  
"You will perish from a snake's kiss instead of a vampire's.how ironic," Kígyó laughed, thinking his victory imminent.  
  
But in that instant, the sun set behind the tall trees, casting the world into shadow.  
  
*******  
  
Vitéz Lengyel began to stir as the sun drew near its setting. Within the lighter confines of sleep, his worry returned tenfold, but he still could not place its source.  
  
Something was wrong. The certainty of the idea was shocking, sending him into a desperate frenzy of thought.  
  
'What is it?' his mind asked.  
  
'I do not know,' he answered desperately. 'But I can feel it.'  
  
'What do you feel?' it asked.  
  
'I feel pain, helplessness, someone needs my aid. Something is wrong.terribly wrong.'  
  
'For who do you feel?', his mind asked more urgently.  
  
'For who? I...' he trailed off.  
  
The answer came to him like a bolt of lighting.  
  
Aury.  
  
Vitéz came instantly awake, concentrating as he spread his awareness to the castle and to the fields beyond.  
  
She was nowhere to be found, and it had nothing to do with her spontaneous explorations.  
  
Someone had taken her away from him. He was certain of it.  
  
With the power of his mind, the Baron of Stormblade blew the lid of his coffin right off its hinges. Sitting up, he bared his fangs, eyes red with fury, as he let the world know of his wrath with a powerful scream, just as the sun sunk into the horizon.  
  
*******  
  
D knew he was in trouble. The snakes kept their upward trail and he could not push them away for his hands were busy fighting the snake-man before him.  
  
The dunpheal could see the gleam of triumph in the barbarois' eyes, and the latter kept up his attack, pushing him back further and further.  
  
Coming out of nowhere, a wave of powerful energy swept the air, accompanied by the sound of an angry scream. It kept going over the land and could still be heard even as it passed over the two combatants.  
  
Kígyó stopped instantly in his attack, looking up at the sky as if searching for something.  
  
It was just the distraction D needed.  
  
Rapidly, he brought Left Hand up towards his chest.  
  
"I need you to get rid of these things."  
  
"My pleasure," the symbiont answered, a smirk coming across his features before he opened his mouth widely.  
  
The snakes were swallowed up quickly. D then pointed the parasite towards the vipers on the ground, and were taken up just as rapidly.  
  
Kígyó, having recovered from his shock, jumped back just in time to avoid being eaten by Left Hand. Appalled by this knew tactic from his enemy, the barbarois was at a lost. He also knew where the source of that powerful energy wave had come from, making the end of the battle even more urgent.  
  
Deciding he could not stay and finish this fight without getting caught, the snake-man turned round, swiftly picked up Aury and ran at full speed through the forest.  
  
Closing his left hand, D followed swiftly, intent on not letting this foul creature get away.  
  
But the barbarois was quicker than he appeared, and it took D more effort to catch up with him than he'd thought. Kígyó was at an advantage, for he knew the lay of the land well. Having planned this as his escape route, the snake-man knew exactly where he was going, outdistancing D despite his extra burden.  
  
Eventually, the dunpheal was forced to use Left Hand again.  
  
"I want you to stop his run," he said, tree branches flying past him.  
  
"But D, if I misjudge the use of my strength I could swallow him entirely, and the girl with him!"  
  
"Do it," the dunpheal ordered as he lifted his arm towards the barbarois' fleeing form.  
  
"Alright," Left Hand said reluctantly, opening his mouth once more.  
  
The force behind the parasite's pull managed to make the snake-man stumble in his path as his feet were stolen right under him. Kígyó fell face first, forced to let go of Aury, who landed forcefully beside him. Both of them were being pulled back towards Left Hand even as the snake-man tried to grab on to a passing rock, leaves and twigs flying around him.  
  
The symbiont closed his mouth suddenly when they were only a few paces away. This allowed D to run up to take Aury up in his arms before setting her gently behind him.  
  
The Hunter faced the snake-man once more.  
  
Kígyó had his legs under him in a blink of an eye, attacking the dunpheal with all his might. Knife met sword again in an intricate combination of strikes.  
  
From the savage attack he was receiving, D could tell the barbarois was desperate. The latter reeked of fear, a fact he was trying hard not to show. Something was making him extremely uneasy, but D knew not what it was. Even so, the dunpheal did not think twice to use his opponent's off- balance to his advantage.  
  
Letting Kígyó vent off his frustration on his sword, D only parried, not attempting to attack in return. After such a violent display of power, the barbarois was sure to tire soon, giving D all the advantage he needed.  
  
They fought so for some time, desperation showing even more clearly on the snake-man's face. He was evidently tiring but did not relent on his strikes. His determination, under any other circumstance, would've been admirable.  
  
But the life of a small girl hung on the outcome of this fight.  
  
D pushed Kígyó back with a vicious slash, taking on the offense suddenly. The snake-man wasn't ready for the change, but did not fall under the power of the dunpheal. The latter pushed him back hard, his arm going numb from the strikes of the sword on his knife. He was losing this battle but he would not relent.  
  
In a matter of seconds, the wave of three powerful presences swept over them and a rustle of fabric could be heard overhead.  
  
Kígyó looked up brusquely, his face growing as pale as the moon. Letting out a garbled scream, he turned to flee.  
  
But D was faster. Jumping up before the fear stricken barbarois, he turned in mid air, slashing his sword in a wide arc.  
  
Kígyó's head rolled on the grass before his body fell soundlessly to the ground.  
  
The Hunter landed gracefully into a kneeling position, his sword before him, breathing heavily. Without much thought, the dunpheal turned back to Aury, taking the girl up in his arms. Her breathing calmed him somewhat, reassuring him of his success in rescuing her. Proceeding to examine her for injuries, he felt the presence of various powerful creatures once more.  
  
Hearing a soft sound nearby, he lifted his gaze to see three figures standing not so far away, long black cloaks covering their features. The gleam of several blades caught his eye.  
  
With all his accumulated experience, he could discern their origins without even looking at them.  
  
He was now in the presence of vampires.  
  
*******  
  
The scream had been enough to make Beriszl fly out of his coffin, sword and dagger in his hand, prepared to face the army of attackers that was sure to be invading the castle in that very moment.  
  
Baring his fangs while placing his weapons defensively in front of him, he was surprised when no immediate attack came. Shaking his head to clear it of the last remnants of sleep, he made his way rapidly out of the room, heading for Vitéz's quarters.  
  
As he passed the landing, he saw the form of his Meister fly by, black cloak trailing. Opening the window with a mere thought, Beriszl braced himself for flight even as Kalman jumped out of another window across from him.  
  
Both of them caught up with Vitéz not so far away. The Baron set a northerly course, flying with all the speed he could muster. To the casual observer, the three vampires would be no more than a passing black blur in the sky.  
  
'Meister, what is it?' Beriszl asked silently. He could tell Vitéz was on the verge of exploding with rage which reflected easily in his actions easily. Something very serious must have happened for him to scream so.  
  
'Aury', the Baron answered simply, conveying the images of her missing presence to both his pupils.  
  
Both vampires gritted their teeth, increasing their speed further.  
  
The trail of evil was easy to follow. It could almost be seen as it made its way towards the northern mountain.  
  
After some time, they could hear the sound of a battle below. Circling widely, Vitéz descended quickly, Kalman and Beriszl following closely.  
  
Two fighting forms could be seen beneath the canopy of trees, engaged in a mighty duel. The vampires did nothing to hide their presence, causing one of the fighters to look up and attempt to run away.  
  
Kalman could tell one of the warriors was the Hunter D; his graceful movements betrayed his anonymity. The Baron smiled inwardly; this meeting was long overdue.  
  
Vitéz came closer, making his way through the trees. He landed in time to see a dunpheal behead a fleeing snake-man. As a comrade landed on either side of him, the Baron watched as the fighter before him turned round to Aury's small form laying close by. Displaying genuine concern towards the girl, the dunpheal's relief at seeing her alive was as apparent as the hat on his head.  
  
Vitéz smiled. There was no doubt that the one in front of him was none other than D, the son of the Vampire King.  
  
As the dunpheal lifted his head, their eyes met. The Baron of Stormblade could discern curiosity mingled with respect but with a certain reservation in his gaze.  
  
It was time they crossed each other's paths.  
  
"Greetings, Vampire Hunter," he said, his deep elegant voice resonating in the silent forest. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vitéz Lengyel, the Baron of these lands. Of my companions, you already have met the honorable Count Farkas."  
  
Vitéz gestured to his right, where Kalman bowed his head in greeting, a wide smile on his features.  
  
D returned the gesture, a ghost of a smile on his lips.  
  
Vitéz continued. "To my left is Beriszl Mátrai, Stormhold's Captain of the Guards. A fair and fine swordsman."  
  
Beriszl crossed his weapons before him, bowing slightly in D's direction.  
  
The dunpheal nodded his head in greeting, taking in this new acquaintance. In any other situation he would've been be wary of Beriszl, but D concluded he could be trusted. For now, at least.  
  
Vitéz met D's gaze once more, before his eyes fell on Aury. A look of great concern came over his face before he finally added, voice filled with emotion:  
  
"And that girl in your arms is my daughter."  
  
****** ******  
  
A cliffhanger!?! Hehe, I just love those! I can just picture D passing out; a great anime comedy moment! Hehe.  
  
Read and review please! ^_^ You know you want to! 


	10. Chap9: Unexpected reflections

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertainment purposes only. But I am the only one allowed to place my vampire cast in embarrassing situations...hehe.

******* *******

Hey minna! ^_^ I'm afraid my updates will be coming once every two weeks, now. I swear I try to update sooner, but I've either got too much stuff to do academically, or I suffer from the ailment known as writer's block... _ So I apologize again.

I was re-reading chapter 8 last night, and I was contemplating on what a good villain Kígyó was. So now comes the question: WHY in the world did I make D kill him? _ grrrrr... I got the idea for a snake villain thanks to my older brother's pet snake (he's a biologist, so he's into some really strange and *dangerous* animals). Its a boa constrictor, and it got out of its large glass "fish tank" the other day, frightening the living daylights out of me (don't worry, she's practically harmless). That's where Kígyó came from. So now, I need another heart-raking experience to come up with another of Count Meszaros' lackeys...hehe. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get one soon enough. ^_~

Oh, I should actually be thanking my brother here, since he provided me with the snake names for this chapter. Thanks, bro! ^_^

Again, thanks to all you readers out there for reading this modest would-be writer's story and for your reviews. *hugs everybody*

Things start getting on D's nerves in this chapter, so beware! Things are never what we expect them to be...^_~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them."

Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance

~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 9

Unexpected reflections

*******

"He keeps up easily," Beriszl commented.

Vitéz looked down to see D riding his horse at full speed on the road below, keeping pace with the rapidly flying vampires.

"Of course he manages to keep up," the Baron replied, smiling to himself. "He's been chasing our kind for centuries."

Kalman chuckled. "This, to him, should be no more than a leisurely night time outing."

"Then, shouldn't we be worried about the possibility of him turning against us?" Beriszl asked.

The three vampires looked at each other for an instant, then burst out laughing.

"You've grown paranoid, Beriszl," Kalman said, shaking his head.

"Can't say I haven't. With all these hunters and exterminators roaming the world, who wouldn't?" the Captain replied with a rueful smile.

Kalman sighed in agreement.

"You do not need to fear D, Beriszl, you can be certain of that," Vitéz spoke seriously. 

"He risked his life to safe my daughter," the Baron said, as he looked down at the small girl he carried in his arms. Tightening his hold on her, he continued, "that should serve as further proof of his honorable ways. We shall treat him accordingly and welcome him as he deserves."

Both vampires nodded at their meister's words.

"And if he were to turn against us," Vitéz added on a lighter note. "I'm sure D would have the decency to tell you beforehand when the end of your days would come."

The three friends laughed again at the irony of it all, as they continued their journey across the sky.

******

D could hear the vampires' laughter quite clearly; he couldn't help but wonder what in the world could make a vampire laugh. The people of the night were solemn creatures, not susceptible to human feelings such as joy and merriment. The Hunter could not remember when was the last time he'd heard a vampire laugh. Or maybe he could remember, but did not wish to search his mind for the memory.

Attentively observing the trio travelling above him, D became easily aware of the friendship they shared. The bonds between them were so evident they could almost be seen, becoming apparent by merely looking at their body movements, and how they were completely at ease with each other's company.

The dunpheal found himself smiling mentally, and for the first time in centuries, he wished he could share such a genuine friendship with someone.

"What the hell's wrong with you, dunpheal?" Left Hand's voice served to remind D of his own "faithful" comrade.

"You keep staring off into space, man. You need to concentrate. There's three powerful vampires flying ahead of you, acting completely suspicious, and all you can do is think about how cute they look together? Come on! Concentrate! They're bound to kill you at the first chance they get. You've got to keep on your toes!"

"They present no threat whatsoever, at the moment," D replied in his usual quiet tone. "Besides, they are technically in my debt for what I did for the girl. They won't attack me for it would go against their code of honour."

"What honour!?" The parasite shouted exasperated. "These are vampires, dunpheal! They have no honour!"

"These do," the Hunter replied calmly. "It is precisely their honour what makes them so different."

Left hand sighed loudly. "Well, can't say I didn't try. It's not my fault you're believing all this bullshit. When you end up dead, pierced by one of their swords, I just might ask one of them to take me in, how do you like that?"

D almost rolled his eyes. "As usual, I am impressed with your incredible display of loyalty."

"Don't mention it," Left Hand laughed.

******

The Castle of Stormhold came into D's view not long after. It was an immense structure, reminding the dunpheal in an uneasy way of the place he had once called home. It was not the first time he'd been reminded of his childhood this night, and it would not be the last.

The three vampires lords made their way towards one of the upper windows. Two of them stepped inside, while another made his way down towards the castle's main entrance.

D rode his horse down the main road, galloping past the large iron gates, going through the castle wall. The guards did not stop his progress, letting D know that his coming had been expected.

Coming to the main entrance, D saw a dark figure standing by the large double doors. It descended the steps as the dunpheal dismounted his cyborg. A barbarois appeared out of nowhere, taking the horse's reigns and leading it quickly away. D was about to protest, but was not given a chance, for the proceeding figure spoke.

"So, we meet again, Hunter," the familiar voice of Count Farkas spoke.

D nodded, the gleam in his eyes showing he was also pleased with this meeting.

"I have been officially chosen to welcome you to Stormhold Castle," the Count said, as he gestured towards the grand structure behind him. "The humble home of Baron Stormblade and the headquarters of his mighty Council."

The dunpheal looked up, seemingly unimpressed.

"You've seen better, I'll wager," Kalman continued, chuckling softly. "Well then, Vampire Hunter, I hope our modest hospitality pleases you."

He turned towards the doors, a smile on his lips. 

"Come, D. We shall go see how my unokahúg is faring," the Count said, concern now crossing his features.

"Unokahúg?" D asked, in perfectly fluent Hungarian.

Kalman smiled. "Yes. I have considered Aury as my niece since the moment I lay eyes upon her. She was a small babe back then, on the day Baron Lengyel found her. But let us hurry, for I worry greatly about her state."

With that, he turned and walked swiftly through the doors, D at his heels. They made their way towards a large marble staircase, elegant candelabra lighting their path. As they climbed towards the upper chambers of the castle, D took in his surroundings well.

Luxurious decorations could be found everywhere, but they were not extravagant, instead they displayed a grand antique collection. Some of the artefacts D came across were so old and precious that he could not even begin to imagine their worth. They marked the Baron as an intellectual immediately. As they crossed a landing, D saw Botticelli's _Primavera_ adorning a wall. It was definetely the original. From the things he was seeing, Baron Vitéz Lengyel had led a well travelled and very long life.

As they came to the third floor, Kalman turned towards D once more. 

"Forgive me, D, for the hasty parting on our last encounter. I assure you that under any other circumstance, I would have stayed to finish our duel as was expected of me."

The dunpheal smiled, knowing the Count meant well. Even so, he could not help but perceive Kalman's desire to know who would have won their encounter.

"You did what you had to do," he said quietly. He then decided to humour the Count. "Our fight can be postponed."

Kalman smiled. "Until a more convenient time, then?"

D nodded.

The Count chuckled. "I'm afraid our duel left me with some unsatisfied need to test my sword skills. I was glad you were there to save Aury tonight, but a part of me was thoroughly disappointed, for my sword arm was aching for a fight. I would have slaughtered the beast who was foolish enough to threaten my unokahúg. But then again, my punishment would have been nothing compared to what Vitéz would have done." He ended in a more serious tone.

D looked at the Count, silently asking him to elaborate.

"He treasures her inmensely, you see. Aury to the Baron is the daylight he has been deprived of in life. Some see it as a weakness, but he thinks of it as a strength." 

Kalman looked at D, who in turn had a look of reservation in his eyes.

A vampire was actually telling him that another vampire had the capality to love? This night had been full of surprises.

"I am sure he will explain everything to you in time, Hunter," Kalman said, still smiling. "All I ask of you is to hear him, and to consider with an open mind all he has to say."

D nodded, staying silent.

Count Farkas led him down a hall, towards a room at its end. Voices could be discerned from the open door. D followed the Count and entered.

Aury lay on a bed without moving. She had not regained consciousness yet. There was a barbarois woman sitting on one side of the bed, examining the girl's left leg while Baron Vitéz kneeled on the other side, holding the child's hand. The tiger, Sharaf, lay beside him. Beriszl was nowhere in sight.

Vitéz turned towards the door as D and Kalman entered.

"How is she?" asked the Count, moving towards the bed. D stayed by the door, quiet as a ghost.

"She has been posoined," Vitéz replied. "But she will be fine, as soon as we give her the correct antidote. The problem lies in determining what type of snake it was that bit her. Igna is trying to find the answer."

The Baron turned to the barbarois woman who was examing the girl.

Igna shook her head. "It could have been anything from a coral to a mocassin snake." Frustration was apparent in her voice.

Sharaf growled in response.

"It was an African mamba snake," D said calmly. All eyes turned towards him.

"Are you sure about this?" Igna asked.

"The snake-man used mambas to attack me, since those were the snakes adorning his head. I am sure he used them to capture Aury, utilizing a smaller quantity of poison to drug her."

Sharaf turned in D's direction, making a rumbling sound in his throat, as if agreeing with the dunpheal.

Igna looked silently at D.

"You heard him," Vitéz said. "What do you need to make the antidote?"

"But, my lord..." Igna started to say.

"You heard what he said," Vitéz said more forcefully. "He saved my daughter once, and now he is doing it again. It should be enough for you that I place my trust in him. Or do you question my judgement?" His patience was running thin.

"No, my lord," the woman answered, looking down.

"Good," the Baron said flatly. "Now, what do you need?"

Igna thought for a moment, before she said. "I have some mamba snake poison in my storage, so the most important ingredient we have already. I will also need some lantana plant and some lactarius fragilis. I need its milk to mix with the poison."

"Some candy cap mushrooms," Vitéz said thoughtfully. "Those will be harder to find than the lantana. Anything else?"

"No sir. That is all I need."

Beriszl walked through the door at that very moment.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Still asleep, but thanks to D, she will be awake soon." Vitéz said, smiling in the dunpheal's direction. "He solved the mystery concerning the origins of the snake bite."

The Captain turned towards D. "Hunter, we owe you much. I cannot think of a way to properly express my gratitude."

D nodded, acknowledging the vampire's sentiments.

"What news, Beriszl?" asked Vitéz, interrupting their small exchange.

"We are ready to leave, Meister."

"Good."

"Where are you going?" asked Kalman, somewhat surprised.

"I have asked Beriszl to form a search squad. I want to comb the perimeters of Arkenia for foul visitors such as this snake-man. We have been having some unwanted guests, lately. I want to make sure my lands are clean," answered the Baron.

But before he could continue, Kalman interrupted.

"You will be leaving to exterminate these invading vermin without me?" he asked Beriszl, his tone resentful.

The Captain only chuckled at his friend's temper.

"If you would have let me finish, Kalman, you would not have needed to ask the question in the first place," Vitéz said.

Kalman looked down, looking properly chastised.

D watched the conversation quietly, amazed at the vampire who could make the formidable Count Farkas look abashed.

"You will accompany Beriszl on this expedition," Vitéz said. "Make ready, for you will leave immediately."

"What about you, Meister?" Kalman asked.

"I would go with you, but I have more pressing matters to attend to," The Baron answered, looking down at Aury. "I will search for the ingredients needed to make Aury's antidote, and I do not plan to leave her side after that."

For the second time this night, D was stunned at the affection present in Baron Stormblade's face when he looked at his daughter.

"Very well," Kalman answered. Then turning to Beriszl, "well, let's get going. You know I'm more than ready."

Beriszl smiled. Turning to Sharaf, "Will you come with us? I am sure you'd appreciate the hunt," he said, mischief in his voice.

The tiger growled, but reluctantly shook its large head.

"He will be coming with me," Vitéz explained. "Sharaf also wants to be by Aury's side when she awakens."

Beriszl nodded with understanding. He turned to Kalman once more. "Let us go, then. Farewell, Meister. We will do our best."

"I know you will," answered the Baron. His pupils answered with their own smiles as they made their way out of the room, giving D a nod in farewell.

Vitéz stood. "Igna, do not leave her side until I get back."

He made his way towards the door, where D stood.

"D, I apologize for the lack of hospitality I have shown you. I had planned your arrival under very different circumstances," the Baron said. "But as you can see, some very pressing matters have come up, and, thanks to you, my daughter is alive. Now I must assume my part in this rescue: to make sure she comes back to us safely. So I must apologize again, for I have been a very poor host."

"There is no need to apologize," D said quietly. "You are only doing what you need to do. I find no fault in that."

Vitéz looked silently at D for a moment. Not knowing why, the dunpheal felt a bit unnerved by that gaze. It invoked certain feelings that D had been trying hard to surpress all night.

"You are truly an amazing person," Vitéz finally said, a small smile gracing his lips. "Toryn will show you to your chambers."

A small barbarois, which looked incredibly like an overlarge gnome, was suddenly standing beside D. The dunpheal did well to hide his surprise, for he knew the servant had not been standing there a minute ago.

"I will come to you as soon as I can, for we have much to talk about D. I bid you goodnight, and I thank you for your honorable deeds once more," Vitéz finally said, turning to walk down the hall, Sharaf following swiftly. 

D was left standing there, staring in the direction they had gone, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. He should have said something; he should have let him know he was concerned about Aury too; he should have volunteered to help; at least, he should have thanked him for his hospitality. Instead, he stood there like he always did, as silent as a corpse.

Baron Stormblade had made quiet an impression on the dunpheal, but it had not been the impression D had expected. No amount of experience could hace prepared him for this.

As he turned to follow Toryn down another hall, for the first time since his childhood, the dunpheal cursed his lack of words.

******

__

"And that girl in your arms is my daughter."

The word shock was an understatement for the feeling he'd experienced when he heard the words. Despite hearing the Baron's voice clearly in his mind, D had not been able to process what he was being told.

Standing on the balcony of the elegant guest room that had been assigned to him, the dunpheal contemplated the view of the nightly landscape before him, reviewing the events of the night with a critical, if somewhat disturbed, eye.

__

"And that girl in your arms is my daughter."

Kneeling as he cradled the child, D was not able to move as the Baron stepped closer. He stared at the vampire soundlessly, showing his disbelief clearly.

Vitéz came forward, kneeling in front of D. 

D clearly remembered the loving look which crossed his grey eyes as he looked down upon her sleeping face. This was something the dunpheal thought he would never live to see. All the centuries spent hunting and exterminating the lords of the night had shown him how emotionally barren vampires were. They were not able to experience love. 

Now, it would seem D had come to the wrong conclusions.

__

The dunpheal was so taken aback that he did not protest when the Baron took the girl from his arms, wrapping her in a fierce hug. Vitéz spoke:

"You'd have to be a father to understand the service you have done for me. Hunter, there are no words which can express my gratitude."

Father...a concept that did not settle clearly in D's mind, or in his heart.

__

The words were simple, but they were spoken in such a tone of such honesty and emotion, that D was not able to deny the fact that this was indeed, the Baron's daughter. They stirred a whole chapter of emotions the dunpheal was not eager to face.

"Her name is Aury. And I'm sure, if she were awake, that she would be thanking you in the same way."

The vampire had displayed his feelings towards this small girl for all to see and he did not seem to be ashamed of doing so. Instead, he exhibited them with pride. Something a true father would have naturally done.

__

The Baron had stood up then, his gaze falling on the corpse of the kidnapping barbarois. A look of intense hatred overcame Vitéz's features, and a murderous glint appeared in his icy orbs, reminding D of the scream he'd heard while he was fighting the snake-man. He was silently thankful the look was not directed at him.

D would have made no more of the encounter, he would have been able to control the emotional stirring once more, if the Baron had not adressed him in such a manner:

__

"There is much business to take care of. Come, D."

It was not an order, but the tone with which the Vitéz spoke made it so. It had been ages since someone had spoken to him like that, expecting him to obey.

His instinctive reaction was to say no, to fight this authority that was being forced upon him once more. But then, he found there was absolutely no coherent reason for him not to do what he was being told. It would be childish to do otherwise.

He'd wanted to meet the Stormblade Baron above all else, hadn't he?

Now, as he stood on the balcony under the soft light of the stars, the dunpheal wasn't so sure.

Vitéz Lengyel had turned out to be a very different person from what D thought he'd be. The Hunter was expecting a typical vampire lord, cold and demanding; a cruel, brutal tyrant, who maintained control and discipline with an iron fist, not tolerating any weaknesses from his followers. In many ways, D had expected to see a mirror image of his father.

Indeed, the dunpheal had found his father in Vitéz, but in a completely different manner. For the reflection the Baron presented was the complete opposite of what the Vampire King had been: it portrayed everything D had wanted his father to be.

Growling in frustration, the Hunter chided himself for letting such a thought enter his mind. He was not here to deal with childhood problems, he was here to deal with the Council of Stormhold and their leader. The latter's motives were to be investigated so he could decide whether to exterminate this Council or not. The lives of many innocent people hung upon his decisions.

These personal matters where of little worth compared to the service he was offering to humanity.

Then why, deep inside, did he wish above all else to gain Baron Stormblade's approval?

Shaking his head violently, as if the act would dispel all thoughts from his mind, D paced the length of the balcony, reminding himself of his mission, of his vows.

These were vampires he was dealing with, the most perverse and evil species on the face of the world. Once, long ago, D had vowed to exterminate their kind, ridding the Earth of such malice.

Vitéz Lengyel was no more than a vampire. As a Hunter, he must remind himself of that. There was absolutely no reason why the Baron should upset him so. No reason. 

Going inside the room, the dunpheal undressed, making himself ready for bed. He looked at his surroundings once more, his gaze meeting the many exotic tapestries adorning the walls. The room was richly furnished; some comfortable couches sat in front of a small fireplace, while outside in the balcony, lush chairs sat facing the view. A chest of drawers stood on one side, while on the opposite wall a large bookcase provided the current guest with reading material. It could have easily held all the books of a small public library. 

D had not slept in a room like this in years.

Going through an adjacent door, he entered a private bathroom, intent on washing his face in a attempt to refresh himself. There was a large bath tub sitting in a corner, and for a moment, the dunpheal considered taking a bath. He discarded the idea, his body was too tired to bother. 

Entering the room again, D made his way towards the bed. It was a large fourposter, and it looked nothing short of majestic. It had been centuries since the dunpheal had slept in such comforts. D got into bed, noticing the sheets were made of the finest silk; the material caressed his skin, relaxing the tense muscles of his body. Closing his eyes, he let the strain of the day's activities coax him to sleep.

Through the veils of oblivion, he could still hear Vitéz's voice clearly.

__

"There is much business to take care of. Come, D."

But his voice was slowly being replaced by a more threatening one in D's mind.

__

"...much business to take care of. Come, D."

An angry look and then the words would follow, spoken in a way which left no room for argument.

__

"...take care of. Come, D."

He always jumped to do what he was told.

__

"...care of. Come, D."

A Prince is not supposed to speak disrespectfully to his elders.

__

"Come, D."

  
_"Yes, sir."_

But a father is supposed to respect his child in return.

Hanging on tightly to the thought, D fought the memories that were trying to overwhelm him, finding courage in the principles which had sustained him through centuries of solitary existence, as he drifted into the world of dreams. 

******* *******

Celtic Oak: There you have it! ^_^ I hope you enjoy. I only have one further comment about this chapter...I made D undress and placed him in a bed with silken sheets!! HOHO! I am sooooo bad...*evil laughter*...I'm sorry, but I just couldn't resist the temptation. ^_~

D: (sits up in bed, his chest bare) What are you saying?

Celtic Oak: (stares at him, drooling a bit) ... Nothing.

D: (eyes her suspiciously) You did this on purpose, didn't you?

Celtic Oak: (gives him a look of total innocence) Did what?

D: You don't fool me.

Celtic Oak: (sweatdrops ^.^) Come on, D, give me a break. I just wanted to give our readers something to enjoy... You didn't get it that bad, anyway. You should see what I have planned for the others...haha. *evil grin*

(Vitéz, Kalman and Beriszl materialise out of nowhere)

Celtic Oak: Damn those vampire powers!

Vitéz: (looks solenmly at D) She placed you in the going-to-bed scene, didn't she? She tried it on me, but failed utterly for it didn't have any usefulness for the plot.

Celtic Oak: (growls in frustration at Vitéz's true statement)

Kalman: At least she hasn't tried it on us!

Beriszl: (nods in agreement, eyeing D with understanding) I hope not to give her cause to do so (giving Celtic Oak a wary look).

Kalman: Me too.

Vitéz: We must try to maintain our dignity. No offense, D.

D: (sighing with resignation) None taken.

Celtic Oak: So that's how it is, huh? See if I cast any of you in any of my following fanfics! And you can forget about this story! I'll start writing a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic instead! (crosses her arms and puts her nose in the air, turning her back on them).

(The 3 vampires and the dunpheal look at each other guiltly, knowing they will take the blame if the authoress doesn't continue the story)

Vitéz: (breaks the silence) Oh come on, now. We didn't mean to upset you.

Beriszl: Yeah, we didn't mean what we said. Right, Kalman?

Kalman: Of course we didn't. We weren't complaining.

D: (sighs) I admit, being in this scene wasn't so bad as I made it sound.

Vitéz: (in the sweetest voice he can muster) Will you continue the story now?

Celtic Oak: Maybe...

D: Please? So I can stop moping about my childhood and my father and become the kick-ass vampire hunter I'm supposed to be?

Celtic Oak: (turns back to look at them)

Kalman and Beriszl: (giving her sweet puppy dog eyes) PLEASE???

Celtic Oak: Alright...but you have to do something for me first.

All of them: ANYTHING.

Celtic Oak: *grins VERY evilly* Ok... 

Inside Stormhold Castle, where Botticelli's _Primavera_ hangs from the wall, a few changes have been made to the painting.

Vitéz, Kalman and Beriszl now pose as the semi-nude Graces, in their transparent garments, holding hands. While D poses as Mercury, who is lightly clad in a red cloak next to the Three Graces...you can see his thigh VERY well.

Kalman: (inside the painting) Whatever happened to the preservation of our dignity, Meister?

Beriszl: I was wondering the same thing.

D: I will tire of this position very soon.

Vitéz: (to all 3) We must do this for the greater good, comrades. Keep that in mind.

Celtic Oak: (sitting on a comfortable chair admiring the painting) *laughs* It's good to be the author, isn't it? ^_~ Hehe.

~*~*~*~*~*

By the way, Botticelli's _Primavera_ is one of my favorite paintings. If I were to walk into someone's house (or castle in this case! ^_^) and find the original hanging on the wall, I'd probably faint! So I obviously made Vitéz have it!

Hope you enjoyed this last bit of my mind's demented wonderings!

PLEASE REVIEW!!! THANKS!!!


	11. Chap10: The Castle of Stormhold

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for entertainment purposes only. So don't sue, cause I don't have any money! I'm just a poor student trying to make her way into the writing world. ^_^

********* *********

Hullo! I managed to make an update before my self-imposed 2 week deadline. Yay! ^_^ I actually sat down on Monday night and wrote this in one go...I was supposed to be studying for my exam this Saturday, but hey, D just couldn't wait. He insisted I write this A.S.A.P.

Looks like all of you enjoyed my going-to-bed-scene *smiles*, but I'm afraid that Eerie, in "Dissolution of Arms", completely crushed my scene with a D-bathing-naked-in-a-river-under-the-moonlight scene. I realized, belatedly, that I had been outdone even before I started writing the chapter *bows head in defeat*. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it *fans herself*; the story's amazing too.

So, I couldn't fall behind ^_~, thus, I started this installment with a little something for the D fans out there who enjoy seeing D in the buff. It isn't much, but I couldn't disappoint Starmaster by not making D take a bath in the tub. It's there for something, isn't it? Hehe.

Thanks for the reviews. ^_^ It's always great to know that you're enjoying my story.

Hope you like this next bit. Chapter 11 is going to be _very_ difficult to write (you'll see why after you read this) so I have to psychologically prepare myself to write it. If you want anything specific to be explained about D's past, just let me know. I'll try my best to find a creative explanation. ^_^

Here we go...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Home  
Hard to know what it is  
If you never had one  
  
Home  
I can't say where it is  
But I know I'm going  
  
Home  
That's where the heart is  
  
And I know it aches  
And your heart it breaks  
You can only take so much  
Walk on  
  
Leave it behind  
You've got to leave it behind"

Walk On, by U2

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 10

The Castle of Stormhold

******

The morning sun delivered D from his troubled dreams, shining through the large windows of his room. He had not taken the time to draw the curtains around his bed, being too tired to do so, which allowed the soft sunshine to fall on the pale features of his face, coaxing him from slumber.

Slowly opening his dark eyes, the dunpheal relished in the comfort of his bed before realizing exactly where he was. Sitting up abruptly, the events of the previous night came back to him in a rush. The kidnapped girl, the snake-man…his impending meeting with the Baron of Arkenia. So much had happened in such a small lapse of time that his brain had troubled processing all the information at once.

Shaking his head, the dunpheal threw off the silk sheets from his body, walking towards the bathroom. There, he proceeded to wash his face with cold water, intent on dispersing the last mists of sleep. Once more, his gaze fell on the luxurious bathtub in the corner, which made him contemplate the need for a bath once more. Taking the ends of his hair with long slender fingers, D raised his dark strands to his nose, wrinkling his face at the smell. 

Indeed, a bath was called for.

The tub took a few minutes to fill, allowing the dunpheal to explore the cupboards in the bathroom. They were filled with all kinds of soaps and perfumes. Body lotions and hair gels. All this made the hunter smile in irony. Vampires went to great lengths to make sure their appearance was immaculate, as if this fact could disguise the void of emptiness that filled their hearts. D had always wondered how the lords of the night, being such beautiful and fair creatures, could be so rotten on the inside.

Taking up a bottle full of liquid soap, D closed the cupboard he had been examining disdainfully. He walked up to the now full tub, emptying the bottle in it, creating a soft foam as the dunpheal lowered his body into the warm water. The release of tension came immediately, sending D into a genuine state of relaxation. It was not often that he allowed himself such moments, but due to recent events, he permitted himself the leisure of enjoying his bath thoroughly.

Looking around for a moment, he found a bath sponge and proceeded to us it to scrub his entire body clean. After doing so, he washed his hair. He'd contemplated the thought of keeping it short many times and had tried to do so. But in the end, his hair grew back so fast that he'd been basically forced to cut it daily to keep it at the length he wanted it. Not being one to bother too much about personal appearance, D stopped his efforts eventually.

Finally done with his personal hygiene, the dunpheal rested his head against the wall of the tub, lifting his arms out of the water to rest on the edges of the tub. As he did so, he heard a small click and squirts of bubbles started massaging his body. D almost jumped before realizing the large tub was also a jacuzzi; a detail the dunpheal was surprisingly glad of.

Closing his eyes, D allowed his muscles to be soothed, not listening to the inner voice that told him he shouldn't be relishing in such luxuries. It had been ages since he had taken so long to take a bath, but at the moment, he did not care. 

There was a time when servants used to bathe him and made sure he was presentable, taking hours just to emerge from the bathroom on special occasions. He was not fond if such attention, and secretly loathed all the pampering, but he endured it all just for one reason: his mother.

Oh how she loved to see him dressed in formal wear. She would personally pick out his clothing and if there were no items that pleased her in his large wardrobe, she would send for some to be made. She would lavish him with praise, saying he was the most handsome of all the vampire lords. Smiling as he remembered her loving voice, the dunpheal softly drifted into remembrance.

*******

"My lady, he is ready," the servant said, as he emerged from the closed doors.

"Good," a soft loving voice answered and from where D stood inside the room, he knew she was smiling as she said so. Smiling to himself, he stole one last look at the reflection on the full length mirror in front of him.

The 13 year old boy that gazed back at him was someone he did not know, yet he felt a certain pride in seeing him.

He was dressed in the finest of suits. The tails of his navy blue coat reached almost to his knees. Beneath it, he wore a pressed white shirt covered by an embroided blue and silver vest. His neck was adorned by a folded navy blue cravat while a half-coat of the same colour hung from his right shoulder, fastened to his chest by a delicate silver chain. A ribbon held his long brown hair back and he wore a small sapphire earring on his left ear.

The concept of royalty would have not done the young Vampire Prince justice as he stood there, clad in such fine garments.

Usually, he hated dressing up like this, but tonight, there was a good reason to do so. D had not made a public appearance in his father's court for quite some time, due to the fact that he hated doing so and that his father didn't usually bother to have him there. One would think the Vampire King did not wish for people to see his son, and D knew his father could barely stand the sight of him. Thus, this event provided D with the opportunity to show the Vampire King how wrong he was.

The young dunpheal had grown much in the past years and was now taller than his mother. She would revel at the thought of him becoming a strong and tall man, and would often tell him he would have many ladies searching for his favour in the future. Why this was a good thing was beyond D's comprehension, but he would smile just to please her. He was aware he now looked older than his years and was somewhat proud of his appearance, something he was not used to.

It wasn't his childhood eyes which stared back at him in the mirror...they were the eyes of a young vampire lord.

Smiling to himself, he lifted his head proudly as he stepped out the door. 

"Look at you!" exclaimed Eszti when she saw her son. "You look like the very essence of a Prince. Oh, wait until your father sees you."

'Yes...wait until he sees me,' D thought darkly, a determined gleam crossing his eyes. But his mother didn't notice, she was too wrapped up in gazing at her lovely son.

Giving her his most dashing smile, D offered her his arm in a courteous gesture. Eszti laughed merrily. "You'll steal the heart of a maiden soon enough, my dear. Indeed you will."

"But why would I want the presence of another girl in my life when there is no one more lovely than my mother?" he said playfully.

"Oh you young trickster," she said, laughing in delight. "Your charms won't work on me."

He smiled at her, reveling in the sound of her laughter, as they made their way into the main hall, where the true lords of the night awaited.

*******

Opening his eyes, D smiled as the memory faded. In the end, he had done very well that night so long ago. Impressing the Vampire King's court with his impeccable manners and dashing gestures, acting just like the very Vampire Prince he was. All the time, his mother had looked at him proudly, her eyes shining with love, giving him the courage he needed to face the vampire lords and ladies. But his father, as usual, was another story. 

The King had stood, arms crossed, gazing at his son with a dark look in his eyes. Not once in the entire night did Dracul address his son. Every time D would catch his eye, the King would turn his face away, as if he could not endure to look at his son. This gave D courage in its own way, for he knew he was acting his part perfectly and this made his father very uncomfortable. The dunpheal would endure the certain reprimand from the King the moment it came, but now, he would make the best of the moment so as to cause his father the greatest discomfort possible.

Shifting slightly under the water, D smiled at his childish antics and at the small victory he'd won that night. The reprimand from his father never came, and to date, he was not sure why. It was most likely because of his mother's interference; she always stood up and defended her son.

'Mother', D thought, nostalgia being the very essence of the word.

Realizing the water in the tub had gone cold, the dunpheal stood and dried himself. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he made his way into the room to find his clothing. He was not at all surprised when he saw a tray with breakfast sitting on the balcony table. His clothes were nowhere to be seen. It was clear evidence that Toryn, the strange barbarois servant, had been in the room.

D walked towards the balcony, settling in one of the chairs. Exotic fruits and spiced breads filled the plates before him, making the dunpheal's stomach grumble. D hadn't noticed how hungry he was and started the meal without further delay.

As he ate, D noticed a small piece of paper folded neatly underneath a glass. Opening it immediately, he found it was a note from Baron Lengyel.

_D:_

_          It is my pleasure to inform you that I managed to successfully obtain the ingredients for Aury's antidote. She awoke late last night and is now out of harm's reach, but she still needs some rest to recover properly._

_          You are welcome to explore the castle grounds at your leisure; there is sword collection in the west wing that will surely appeal to you._

_          If you are in need of anything, do not hesitate to ask one of my servants for assistance._

_          I look forward to out meeting this evening, and once more, I thank you for the great service you have done for me._

_                   V._

D read the note a few times, relieved at the news that Aury would be fine. Still, he couldn't help but feel a certain nervousness at his meeting with the Baron at sunset. There were many things to discuss; many riddles to answers. D was determined to discover the truth behind the Vitéz Lengyel and his vampire council. 

Dismissing such thoughts for the moment, the Hunter continued with his meal.

It was not until the dunpheal had satisfied his hunger that he proceeded to answer the question of what he was going to wear. Not wanting to spend the rest of the day inside his room and waste an opportunity to explore the castle further, the dunpheal almost contemplated the thought of going out to look for a servant clad as he was. It was then that his eyes fell on a door just beside the bed which he hadn't noticed before. He knew what he would find in there.

D was not disappointed when a wardrobe, almost as big as the one he'd once owned, greeted him as he opened the door. Clothing made of the finest materials hung on either side. Suits, vests, trousers, shoes, gloves, cravats...anything one could think of as an item of clothing was there.

Always being a practical one when choosing what to wear, D was about to pick the nearest set of clothes when a particular suit caught his attention. It was navy blue, exactly the same colour as the one he had worn long ago. It came complete with a similar half-coat, cravat and vest. Thinking of his mother, D decided to honour her memory by wearing it. Picking out a pair of tall black leather boots to go with the outfit, the dunpheal started dressing himself.

To his amazement, the suit fit him perfectly. It was as if though it had been made specifically for him. Tying his hair with a ribbon, D turned to look at himself in a mirror. The reflection which greeted him would have made his mother proud; he knew it well. The thought only made him miss her even more.

Without a further glance, the dunpheal opened the door of his room, stepping lightly into the corridor, intent on exploring the insides of Stormhold Castle.

******

The symbiont was silent through it all, not wanting to interrupt the Hunter at such a time of personal musings. Despite his good intentions, there had been more than one occasion in which he had been tempted out of his wits to say something. 

Left Hand had thought of about a thousand rude comments when he saw D dress as a genuine vampire lord. Some of them had been the best he'd come up with in his whole life (and that was saying something) but he bit his tongue, leaving the dunpheal to his thoughts.

D was acting strange. He was letting his guard down, and the parasite was not too happy about it. Something about the vampires they had met on the previous night had affected the Hunter profoundly, and staying at the castle wasn't helping at all.

Left Hand had no doubt that it brought painful memories to the dunpheal.

'This is no time to be moping about your childhood, D,' the symbiont thought. 'Get a grip, man!' 

They had too many things to figure out, many things to worry about. Personal matters shouldn't be involved in work. The Hunter had always made sure of that.

But now, the cold, calculating dunpheal Left Hand had come to know was being overwhelmed by emotions. 

'That's what happens when you bottle them up for a thousand years,' he thought sarcastically.

Despite his harsh thoughts, the parasite knew D had the right to set all his childhood affairs straight. More than anyone, the dunpheal deserved to get over his past and live his present happily. But did he have to choose such a bad moment to do so?

Left Hand sighed in resignation. It looked like he would have to keep his eyes open throughout this whole experience. He also promised to keep his mouth shut, allowing D the time he needed. The Hunter had to overcome this as soon as possible so that they could get back to the job at hand. It looked like Left Hand would have to watch out for both of them for the time being; to be his trusted 'right hand'...

'Right hand'?

The symbiont almost burst out in laughter at the thought, doing his best to stifle his merriment.

'Wait 'till the dunpheal hears this one!', he thought proudly, as D, completely unaware, walked down the hall.

*******

The afternoon sun found D sitting in one of the garden benches. Flowers bloomed everywhere as the rays of sunlight played happily with the colours of their petals.

He'd looked around the castle all day, having seen many of the wondrous artifacts displayed in the many rooms. But after a few hours of such wanderings, the dunpheal was instinctively drawn outside. Forced to acknowledge the fact that he could never spend much time inside a building, he was somewhat annoyed because he did not get the chance to examine the sword collection the Baron had suggested. But that could wait. Preferring the company of the clear skies and open spaces, D found the garden much more interesting than many of the wonders he had seen inside.

Attentively listening to the songs of the birds, D grew aware of two nearing presences. They were coming up along the stone path, which crossed the garden at a slow pace, and one of they seemed to be carrying something. The dunpheal smiled, for he recognized them well.

Rounding a bend in the path, Aury came face to face with the one she had been looking for. She increased her pace, balancing the large basket she carried in her hands, Sharaf walking calmly at her side.

"Hi there, D," she greeted as she came up to him, her smile nearly taking her ears off.

"Hello," the dunpheal answered. He looked intently at her before he continued. "I'm glad you are well again."

She lowered her eyes for a moment, as if remembering the painful incident. "Apu told me it was you who saved me, D. He said you rescued me from the claws of that dreadful snake-man."

The dunpheal didn't deny her words with his silence.

"He also said you helped him make the antidote he used to wake me up," she continued, looking straight at D's eyes.

"And well...", she hesitated for a moment. "I just wanted to thank you." Dropping the basket to the ground, the girl raised her arms to D's neck, wrapping him in a hug.

The Hunter was frozen for a moment, not used to such personal contact. But as he felt the girl hold him, he suddenly realized how worried he had been for her and how glad he was that she was safe. Closing his eyes, he returned the embrace, engulfing her small form in his arms.

Momentarily, Aury pried herself lose from D's hold. 

"I almost didn't recognize you with those clothes," she commented.

D looked down at his garments self-consciously, he'd almost forgotten about them.

"I think you look great in them", she finished with a smile. 

The dunpheal smiled back at the compliment.

"I've brought lunch with me," she added happily, gesturing towards the basket. "I thought we could eat it out here in the garden."

He nodded his agreement.

"Where do you want to eat?" she asked.

"You're the one that knows all the secrets around here," he said playfully. "You tell me where the best place is."

Aury smiled. "Well, there's a nice patch of grass under a grove of oak trees nearby."

"And faeries love to live in oak trees, isn't that right?" D asked.

The girl all but beamed up at him. "Of course! I'm glad you remembered. Come on, let's go," she finished, taking D by the hand.

The Hunter took up the basket in his left hand, ignoring the symbiont's protests, and walked beside the girl, Sharaf following behind them.

Lunch was a delightful affair, at least for Aury. She reveled in telling D all about the castle and its occupants. Information that D found extremely useful. She told him all about the servants and the vampires, letting on a bit about the Council.

By the end of the afternoon, D learned the Council of Stormhold would hold meetings every month, and that these meetings would last well into the night. Aury wasn't allowed to go, so she didn't know what it was they talked about so much, but she knew it was important. Also, from the names the girl had mentioned, D became aware that the members of the Council were the most prominent vampire lords, coming from the most distinct vampire families.

He also learned about the incident with Onyx, and her punishment, which lead to her kidnapping. D sympathized with her, but he also knew she had done wrong, and she somehow had to learn. Being such a bright girl, D knew she'd already learnt her lesson, and that made her all the wiser. He told her so.

Aury blushed at the compliment, before chatting away about some other thing.

The afternoon died slowly, but neither of them seemed to notice, too intent on what was being said, or not said in D's case, to be aware of the time. They genuinely enjoyed each other's company, making the time they spent together sparkle like a jewel in D's perception. He would never forget this girl.

The stars were sparkling in the sky by the time a cloaked figure made itself known to the couple. D became aware of it first, raising his eyes in its direction. Aury turned as well, standing up as soon as she saw the form.

"Apu!" she yelled, running towards the figure.

Vitéz kneeled to catch her in his arms, lifting her up to the sky, laughing all the while.

"I am glad you are feeling like yourself again," he said, eyes gleaming at her. "Even though, I'd left careful instructions that you were not to leave your room today. You were supposed to be resting."

The girl lowered her face for a moment. "I know. I slipped away from Igna this afternoon. I knew D was in the castle, and I was not about to let him wander alone all day," she said defensively.

The Baron smiled. "I'm sure you didn't," he said, turning in D's direction. As his eyes fell on the Hunter, a small look of surprise crossed his face.

The dunpheal was standing now, watching the exchange silently, as the elegant half-cape he wore fell from his right shoulder, dancing slightly in the soft breeze.

Vitéz looked intently at him, his lips curving up in a smile. "I'm glad you found the clothing in your wardrobe to your liking."

"He looks great in them, doesn't he?" Aury asked from Vitéz's arms.

"I agree, they do fit him quiet well," the Baron said, smiling as if he knew something the others didn't. "Very elegant. Makes you think he is something more than what he says he is."

D nodded, not sure of how to act when being complimented in such a way.

Vitéz placed Aury back on the ground. "Well D, I hope it wasn't too tiring to spend the day with this tündér. You see, she has the tendency to talk her head off, zooming from topic to topic like a bee. It can be torture sometimes."

"APU!!"  the girl protested, hands fisting at her side.

"It was no torture," D said in her defense. "We spent a very pleasant evening."

Aury smiled up at the dunpheal.

"I'm glad you did," Vitéz answered with a smile of his own. Turning back to Aury, he said, "Now, I've come to call both of you inside. Dinner's ready and your uncles want to see you."

"Yay! Zacis Kalman and Zacis Beriszl!" the girl exclaimed, jumping into Vitéz's arms once more.

The vampire laughed, hoisting her up onto his shoulders. Turning towards the dunpheal.

"Come D, let us go."

_Come D_, a voice echoed inside the Hunter's mind.

'No,' D thought. 'I will not let you ruin this.'

Vitéz looked intently at the Hunter. "Is everything alright, D?" he asked, concern in his voice when he saw the dunpheal was not moving.

Come D 

'NO', D thought more fiercely. 'You no longer hold power over me.'

"Everything is fine", he said out loud.

"Come on D! The others are waiting!" Aury said from her perch.

The dunpheal couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice, all memories of his father suddenly fading away. He felt Sharaf bump into his leg, as if urging him on.

Placing his hand on the tiger's head, D stepped towards Vitéz and Aury, coming up to walk beside them in the warm spring air.

******

Dinner was far from what D expected. Having grown up in a castle were the family would eat at a large table, children sitting at the opposite end of the table from their parents, the dunpheal wasn't expecting much conversation.

Once again, his preconceptions about vampires were shaken to the core.

They sat at a small round dining table in a room close to the kitchens. D sat next to Aury, who sat next to Vitéz; leaving Beriszl by the Baron's side and Kalman at D's side. The talk started by the Captain asking the girl how it was that the snake-man had captured her. D thought the conversation would be dark and foreboding, with the vampires trying to figure out why the girl had been kidnapped. Instead, they jested and laughed at every possible moment.

"I'm still not sure what a snake-man could want with the likes of you," Kalman said jokingly, once Aury had finished her tale. "I mean, you couldn't make much of a meal."

"Oh yeah?" the girl answered furiously. "Well I'm not the only one who attracts weird creatures!"

Vitéz and Beriszl sniggered loudly.

D wasn't sure what to make of all this, apart that he was somehow enjoying it.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kalman said.

"Well, I'm not the one that goes out for nightly walks with large barbarois women."

Beriszl exploded in laughter, while Kalman went red in the face.

"Now just a moment," he said. "That was different."

"Was it?" Vitéz asked, winking in D's direction.

"Of course it was! I was trying to help her. I didn't know what she was," the Count said defensively, face frowning at the memory.

"Of course you didn't," said Beriszl, finishing his cup of wine. "Tünder here's right; you do attract the strangest of creatures."

"I do not!" Kalman said, temper flaring.

"Hold it, hold it," Vitéz interrupted. "I think D here deserves to know the full version of the story. Let him judge in the end."

"D, don't believe a word they say", Kalman said as he leaned into D.

"I wouldn't believe anything HE says," Aury replied on D's other side.

The dunpheal was caught between the two adversaries, not knowing what to do.

Vitéz laughed. "Well Beriszl, I shall leave the telling of this tale to you, since it was you who found our comrade and rescued him from his torment."

Aury giggled loudly.

"D, it would be my honour to recount the events to you", Beriszl said solemnly.

Kalman gave him a look which told the vampire he would regret all of this later.

The Captain only smiled and proceeded with the tale.

"You see, D, Kalman here, on a winter's night, not long ago, decided to go on a midnight stroll. It was the first clear night after a particularly vicious snowstorm had passed over the land.

"So, the night found our friend here walking along the banks of a river which flows not far away from here. Being winter, the river had frozen. From a distance, Kalman heard a muffled scream, as if someone was trying to escape from a trap. Intent on being a heroe..."

Kalman growled.

"...he went to investigate and to rescue whoever was in need of assistance this night. Along the riverbank, he found a woman, a barbarois woman, trapped within the ice. She was a vine-crawler."

"You know those that grow vines out of their limbs and control the vines on trees?" Aury asked.

D nodded at her. 'A very dangerous enemy within a forest', he thought.

Turning back towards Beriszl, he gestured for the Captain to continue.

"The vines from her feet had been caught within the ice, and she could not get out," Beriszl continued. "Determined to rescue the damsel in distress, our honorable Count aided her and managed to get her out of the ice safely.

"Once on safe ground, the woman turned towards Kalman, and looking straight into his eyes she said: 'Oh my, you are handsome.'

Beriszl imitated the woman's voice for effect, eliciting giggles and laughter from Aury and Vitéz.

By now, Kalman had his face in his hands.

"The Count did not know what to say. He tried to dissuade her, but to no avail, the woman had found her one true love. Now, being the gentleman that he is, Kalman tried to soothe her with words, not knowing of the passionate heart that can possess a barbarois when in love. So, he had no idea the vine-crawler's vines were coming up behind him, capturing him by his ankles and sweeping him, literally, off his feet."

Beriszl stopped to laugh for a moment.

Kalman looked for support in D's direction, but he found the dunpheal was actually smiling, which, coming from the Hunter, was the equivalent of him laughing out loud.

"So that's were I found him," the Captain continued. "Hanging upside down from the vines of the woman he'd conquered. She was intent on taking him home"

"How did you manage to save him?" D asked the first words he'd spoken all evening.

"It was simple," Beriszl answered. "I just told her that Kalman thoroughly enjoyed to burn plants. That he took perverse delight in seeing something green burn to ashes, and had incinerated his own castle garden just a few days ago. She dropped him as if he were a hot coal, calling him all types of names as she made her way off."

"A valiant rescue, if I've ever seen one," Vitéz said, raising his cup in salute.

Aury was giggling madly. Even Kalman was smiling, now.

D sat there, contemplating it all. The story he had been told had to be one of the silliest he'd ever heard. Under any other circumstance he'd considered the tale completely absurd. But now, surrounded by this happy, if somewhat dysfunctional, family, he found he could almost laugh with them. Amazed at the ease with which they shared their experience with him, at the ease with which they accepted him and took him into account, D found himself consciously opening his heart to them.

Once dinner was over, Kalman took Aury into his arms. "Well tünder, think you can beat me at a game of checkers?"

"HA! I can do that with my eyes closed," Aury answered.

"I'd like to see you try!" the Count replied.  
"You're on!"

"Alright, and the one who wins gets a go with Beriszl."

"Neither of you stands a chance," the Captain said haughtily.

"We'll see about that!" Aury said, running out of the room, both vampires following, leaving laughter along their trail.

D was about to follow them, when a cold hand grasped his shoulder.

"We can join them later, D", the deep voice of Vitéz Lengyel said in a serious tone. "We have much to talk about, you and I."

D nodded, the laughter of the evening evaporating rapidly, jolting him back to reality. He wasn't a part of all this; he was a stranger in this castle. And as a Vampire Hunter, he had more serious things to worry about.

The seriousness of his job returned to him suddenly. What was he doing? He couldn't relax while he worked. Reprimanding himself greatly, the dunpheal reminded himself why he was here in the first place. He'd never let his personal feelings interfere with what had to be done. Never.

Covering his face with the cold mask with which he always took on a job, D nodded at Vitéz, remembering once more that the one before him was nothing more than a vampire.

The Baron noticed the change in the dunpheal instantly, knowing the Hunter was someone to reckon with as an enemy. Vitéz Lengyel did not wish to make the son of the Vampire King his enemy, instead, he planned to enlist him as an ally. But that process could take time; and time was something he didn't have.

Nodding gravely as well, the Baron led D up another staircase, heading in the direction of his private sitting chamber.

It was time for the Hunter to know his story, for him to know where the Stormblade Baron came from. But most importantly, in was time for Vitéz Lengyel to find out D's own story, to find out why the Vampire Prince had turned into the man he was.

It would indeed be a long night.

******** ********

Any doubts, queries, events, etc, you'd like to have explained about our beloved dunpheal's history? Just let me know. I'm writing his story in the next chapter, and I'm trying to make it as complete as possible, so any suggestions would be great.

Please review! You know you want to. ^_~


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